WSDOT work zone speed cameras in place south of Bellingham; fines rise this week
Speed limits within the construction zone near the Interstate 5 bypass south of Bellingham are currently being enforced by cameras, and a new fine of $125 for a first-time offense goes into effect Wednesday, July 1.
The penalty will increase to $248 for any subsequent infractions, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The increase in the fines is not limited to Whatcom County. It will be applied to all road work construction sites across the state.
The cameras will activate at several locations across Washington, including the construction of a fish passage underneath I-5 south of Bellingham, WSDOT Communications Officer Amy Moreno told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
The bypass involves two temporary roads — one northbound, one southbound — around a WSDOT work site where crews are removing, replacing and repairing outdated culverts (tunnels constructed to allow water to run underneath the interstate) as part of a $159.6 million statewide project to correct barriers to fish migration, including fixing 17 barriers along I-5 near Lake Samish.
The speed limit has been reduced to 50 mph through the construction zone.
“The increase comes after the cameras have been used more than 900 times at about 50 job sites since enforcement began on April 16, 2025,” the WSDOT news release states. “So far, 85,000 work zone speed camera infractions have been issued statewide. 77,000 of those were first-time infractions.”
The cameras are trailer-mounted and are brought to job sites by workers. They are returned to storage at the end of each shift, according to Moreno.
The cameras are not used at every construction site in the state, only where they are needed most, Moreno said. WSDOT employees work with construction crews to decide where camera enforcement is most needed.
There have been seven vehicle collisions near the I-5 construction zone in Whatcom County since traffic switched to using bypass lanes on June 18.
However, the cameras were scheduled to be put in place near the bypass zone well before the bypass was completed, according to WSDOT Communications Manager Barbara LaBoe..
“These cameras not only help protect our crews and partners — getting drivers to slow down helps everyone on the roadway, including fellow travelers, as well,” LaBoe said.
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