Traffic Report: Old Samish Road closed for the rest of the year
Old Samish Road will be closed to through traffic starting Monday, April 27 south of Bellingham near Chuckanut Creek. This is a long term closure and the road will remain closed for the rest of the year, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The closure is in place so Old Samish Road can be used to build a temporary two-lane bypass for southbound Interstate 5 while crews working for WSDOT remove a barrier to fish migration along Chuckanut Creek including under the interstate.
The two-lane bypass will only be in place during the summer months, at which time I-5 will return to its original state. However, Old Samish Road will remain closed as a new fish passage is constructed beneath it.
At 2113 Main Street in Ferndale, between Sterling Avenue and 4th Avenue will shift traffic between lanes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 29. Two lanes of traffic will remain open at all times with flaggers on site to guide traffic. The closure is the result of a work zone in the area as part of the Civic Campus Project, according to the city of Ferndale. Drivers should expect delays.
The city of Ferndale is encouraging people to access the Post Office and 7-Eleven through 4th Avenue.
Foot traffic and bicycles will detour through the Post Office parking lot.
Freeways and highways
Northbound Interstate 5 south of Bellingham opened Wednesday, April 15 after being closed for nearly a month following a March 19 landslide.
North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) is closed in both directions from Colonial Creek Campground at milepost 130 to the Ross Dam Trailhead at milepost 134 following a rock slide. There is no estimated time for reopening.
Snow has been cleared from the road meaning people can access the east gate at the Early Winters closure point (milepost 178) outside of work hours (Monday through Thursday 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). However, WSDOT encourages recreators to avoid areas that have rockfall or washouts (mileposts 131 and 145) as they are still heavily damaged.
Because the road is closed, there will be no patrols to notice anyone who may be injured or stuck, and there is no cell service on the pass, according to WSDOT.
Whatcom County
The following roads are currently closed or under construction in Whatcom County. An interactive map on the status of Whatcom County roads is available at the county’s website. The county’s road closures list was last updated April 22.
Closed
- Sunset Avenue west of Graveline Road.
- Road Marshall Hill Road east of Cronk Road.
- South Church Road between Lampman Road and Ulrich Road; there is also water over the roadway.
Restricted
- Academy Road from the 2100 block to the dead end is reduced to a single lane.
- Bayon Road north of Marine Drive has water of the roadway.
- Bowman Road off Saxon Road is a rough road and motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Chief Martin Road between Scott Road and Cagey Road is a rough road and motorcycles use extreme caution.
- Clearbrook Road east of Nooksack Road is a rough road and motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Clipper Road south of Strand Road; motorcycles use caution.
- Custer School Road north of Creasey Road is a rough road and motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Drayton Harbor Road west of Blaine Road has an abrupt lane edge.
- Drayton Harbor Road west of Shintaffer Road is one lane. Drivers should be prepared to stop.
- Garrison Road north of Clearbrook Road has an abrupt lane edge.
- Gulf Road south of Henry Road is reduced to one lane. Motorists should be prepared to stop and motorcycles should use caution.
- Hampton Road west of Slotemaker Road has an abrupt lane edge.
- Harborview Road south of Birch Bay Lynden Road is a rough road and motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Hillaire Road north of Kwina Road is a rough road and motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Jackman Road north of H Street Road has an abrupt lane edge.
- Lampman Road at South Church Hill has water over the roadway.
- Martin Road near the bridge is reduced to one lane. Motorists should be prepared to stop.
- Minaker Road west of Vedder View Lane is a rough road and motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Nolte Road east of Van Dyk Road is a rough road and motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Nooksack Road north of the high school has an abrupt lane edge.
- Park Road at the 4700 block is a rough road with loose gravel. Motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- Slotemaker Road at the 8100 block has an abrupt lane edge.
- Sorenson Road west of Breckenridge Road has loose gravel, is a rough road with an advisory speed. Motorcycles should use extreme caution.
- South Pass Road east of North Pass Road has an abrupt lane edge.
- Summerland Road south of West Lake Samish Drive has an abrupt lane edge.
- West Shore Drive at Legoe Bay Road is reduced to one lane. Motorists should be prepared to stop. The road is rough and motorcycles are advised to use extreme caution.
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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Traffic Report: Old Samish Road closed for the rest of the year."
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