Traffic Report: I-5 lane closures; World Cup plan; North Cascades Highway delays
Interstate 5 has been reduced to a single lane near Lake Samish Road (exit 240) for 12 days since Sunday, May 10 to remove a barrier to a fish passage beneath the northbound lanes. The goal is to have the road reopened before Memorial Day (May 25). The fish passage project is also the reason the Alger/Lake Samish Road northbound on-ramp is closed until May 31. When the project is complete, there will be no long-term daytime lane reductions from June 12 to July 8 during the World Cup. However, the work will resume when the tournament is over, and crews will install a new structure beneath I-5, reducing it to a single lane in July, according to WSDOT. Exact dates have not been released.
Interstate 5 is reduced to a single lane for three nights just south of Bow Hill Road for maintenance. The closure will start with the left lane of northbound I-5 from 10 p.m. Monday, May 11 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, May 13. Then the left lane southbound will close from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday, May 14.
Old Samish Road is closed to through-traffic south of Bellingham near Chuckanut Creek. 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 point I-5 will return to its original state. However, Old Samish Road will remain closed as a new fish passage is constructed beneath it.
East Pole Road (State Route 544) will be closed east and westbound between Robinson Street and Everson Road until July 3 for a city of Everson sidewalk project. A temporary detour is in place.
The final 2 miles of Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542) to Artist Point remain closed for the season since Oct. 15. The road to Artist Point closes every year in mid-October and is reopened in the summer. Last year Artist Point opened June 27 after nearly a month of clearing efforts by WSDOT crews.
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. The current goal is to reopen the road by the Fourth of July.
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 (6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday).
However, WSDOT encourages people to avoid areas that have rockfall or washouts (mileposts 131 and 145) as it is 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.
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, which was last updated May 5.
Closed
- Sunset Avenue west of Graveline Road
- Marshall Hill Road east of Cronk Road
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Innis Creek Road south of Doran Road has water of the roadway.
- Jackman Road north of H Street Road has an abrupt lane edge.
- 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.
- 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 May 11, 2026 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Traffic Report: I-5 lane closures; World Cup plan; North Cascades Highway delays."
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