Storms throw a monkey wrench into Bellingham, Whatcom County commutes
Get ready for an extended detour if you’re heading to Bellingham from Lynden and the East County, or the other way around.
Damage from the recent atmospheric river series of storms has closed Hannegan Road/Woburn Street, one of Whatcom County’s primary north-south routes, in two places.
Those two locations require repairs that will keep the road closed indefinitely, city of Bellingham officials said Wednesday.
“Last night at Woburn Street near Cemetery Creek, crews were onsite assessing next steps after storm damage weakened the infrastructure beneath the road when a section of the roadway gave way. Utilities in the area were protected, and crews used temporary measures to keep systems operating while stabilization work continues,” the city said on Facebook. “At Hannegan Road, crews and contractors were already actively excavating to reach a deeply buried culvert beneath the roadway following earlier storms. With additional heavy rain, the remaining roadway above the culvert gave way. Crews continue working in challenging conditions to stabilize the area and determine next steps toward reopening the road as soon as conditions allow.”
For the indefinite future, Woburn Street is closed from Lakeway Drive to Iowa Street, with limited local access from Iowa Street. Woburn Street becomes Hannegan Road north of Sunset Drive/Mount Baker Highway, and that section is closed between Bakerview Road and Van Wyk Road.
“We know these closures are inconvenient and disruptive. They’re also taking longer than anyone would like, not for lack of effort, but because crews are working in extremely challenging conditions with saturated ground, high water, and more rain in the forecast,” the city said.
For the Hannegan Road detour, many drivers are taking Kline Road to Guide Meridian. That’s causing problems for local residents, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deb Slater told The Herald.
“Our deputies are noticing that folks who are taking the detours are not obeying the lower speed limits on some of those county roads,” Slater said in an email.
Traffic studies from 2019 show Hannegan Road had a daily volume of 13,300 vehicles at the Smith Road intersection just north of Kline.
Hannegan carried about 17,000 cars and trucks at the Bakerview intersection in a 2018 study. Woburn had a daily volume of 13,000 at the Lakeway Drive intersection in 2018.
