Traffic Report: James Street closure; I-5 revisions; North Cascades Highway
James Street in Bellingham is closed north of Bakerview Road for the next three weeks starting Monday, June 8. The closure is part of a $5.3 million project to install a 12-foot wide path that will provide easier foot and bicycle access from the King Mountain neighborhood to nearby parks and shopping, according to the city of Bellingham.
Interstate 5
- On Thursday, June 11, southbound I-5 will switch to a temporary two-lane bypass through Old Samish Road, which has been closed to through-traffic near Chuckanut Creek since April 27. The switch was originally scheduled for late May but was postponed to make repairs to the asphalt. The switch will occur at 8 p.m. June 11, and delays are expected from about midnight and 5 a.m. June 12. The bypass will be used through September while crews install a new fish-passage beneath the southbound lanes. While the bypass is in place, the speed limit will be reduced to 50 mph near the work area. Northbound I-5 will switch to a two-lane bypass beginning Monday night, June 15.
- Old Samish Road will remain closed to through traffic through the end of the year.
- The right lane of southbound I-5 will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 9 near Smith Road for repairs to another electronic message board.
Artist Point: Crews began clearing the last 2.7 miles of Mount Baker Highway to Artist Point on Wednesday, May 27. The road has been closed for the season since Oct. 15. Last year, Artist Point opened June 27 after nearly a month of clearing efforts by WSDOT crews. There is no estimate for when the road will fully open.
North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) is closed in both directions from milepost 134-156 Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Porcupine Creek (milepost 156) due to damage between Canyon Creek Trailhead and Granite Creek (mileposts 142-148) from December washouts.
The current goal is to reopen in both directions by June 25, 10 days earlier than the previous reopening estimate of July 4.
The west side closure point has been moved forward to milepost 134 from milepost 130 on May 30, which has provided access to the Diablo Lake Vista Point and the Ross Dam Trailhead.
The Washington Department of Transportation encourages people to avoid areas that have rockfall or washouts as it is still heavily damaged. The highway remains an active work zone and no access is permitted for anyone, hikers, bikers and camper included.
WSDOT is working with two contractor crews, who are working when it is safe to do so 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
According to WSDOT, the road is so damaged that clearing enough of the highway to open a single lane of traffic is difficult, and would take about as long as it would to simply clear all the lanes.
Also on the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20), East and westbound traffic will alternate near Gorge Creek (milepost 85) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 9 for bridge inspections.
State Route 9 will alternate northbound and southbound traffic from 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 9 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, June 10 near Siper/Lind Road for utility work.
Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542) will see a lot of alternating traffic this week at several spots.
- Eastbound and westbound traffic will alternate from 9 p.m. Thursday, June 11 to 5 a.m. Friday, June 12 at Deming Road (milepost 11) for utility work.
- Traffic will also alternate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day from Monday, June 8 through Thursday, June 11 in Glacier (mileposts 33-34) for drilling work.
- Traffic will alternate at the Nooksack River Warnick Bridge (milepost 31) for bridge inspections from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 10.
- Traffic will alternate from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day, Monday, June 8 through Friday, June 12 between Casey Road and Warnick Road (milepost 23-31) for utility work.
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.
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 12.
Closed
- Sunset Avenue west of Graveline Road
- Marshall Hill Road east of Cronk Road
- Seamount Drive between Vista Drive and Malloy Avenue in Ferndale will be closed to through traffic from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 19 due to work associated with a private development project, according to the city of Ferndale.
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 June 8, 2026 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Traffic Report: James Street closure; I-5 revisions; North Cascades Highway."
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