Traffic Report: Bellingham Pride parade route; State Route 9 and I-5 updates
.jpg "Members of the Bellingham City Council march in the Bellingham Pride Parade near Waypoint Park in Bellingham in 2022. Holding the signs, from left, are: Kristina Michele Martens, Skip Williams, Hannah Stone, Hollie Huthman and Michael Lilliquist.")
This week we open with a reminder that a busy weekend in downtown Bellingham will make driving in the area more difficult than normal. Many people will be in town for the four-day NW Tune-UP bike and music festival, and Bellingham Pride will involve some traffic revisions.
Bellingham Pride Parade: The parade starts at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 12 and ends around 1 p.m. Several city roads will be closed, starting at Bellingham High School at Ohio Street and Cornwall Avenue. The procession will continue through downtown Bellingham down Cornwall to Chestnut Street and ending with a festival in the Depot Market Square and the 1100 block of Railroad Avenue.
Sumas: Crews finished repaving over a mile of State Route 547 between Saar Creek and the Sumas River on Sunday, June 28, and have begun to make repairs along State Route 9 south of Sumas between mileposts 95 and 97. Traffic delays are expected 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily July 7-9, between East Badger Road and Sumas Avenue.
Interstate 5:
- The left lane northbound I-5 will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. every night July 6-10. The closure will be through the temporary two-lane bypass road south of Bellingham from milepost 246-247.
- Northbound and Southbound I-5 has switched to a temporary two-lane bypass near Chuckanut Creek. The bypass will be used through September as WSDOT crews install a new fish-passage beneath the interstate. Old Samish Road is being used as the two-lane bypass lanes for southbound traffic. The road will remain closed for the rest of the year, even after the highway work is complete, to install part of the fish passage.
- From Saturday, July 11, to Friday, July 15, cyclists are expected on the shoulder of I-5 in both directions at Samish Way for the Bay to Baker Bicycle Tour. Cyclists are also expected on State Routes 9, 11, 20, 536, 542/Mount Baker Highway, 547 and 548/Peace Portal Drive.
- The off-ramp southbound to Lake Samish Road near Alger (exit 240) will be closed for 28 days starting noon, Monday July 6 for fish passage construction. Traffic will detour will use the Nulle Road off-ramp at exit 242.
- Northbound and southbound traffic on I-5 will be reduced to a single lane near Alger and Lake Samish Road.
- Northbound and southbound I-5 will be reduced to a single lane from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly Monday, July 6, through Thursday morning, July 9, to construct bypass roads.
State Route 9:
- Northbound and southbound traffic will alternate around the clock from Nugents Corner to South Pass Road (mileposts 84 to 90) for a paving project that began Monday, June 15. The project is expected to be completed sometime in August, according to WSDOT. Flaggers will be directing traffic through work zones.
- Northbound and southbound traffic will alternate at Klein Ditch bridge until further notice, to inspect the bridge deck.
- Northbound and southbound traffic will alternate from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 7-9 between Sumas Avenue and East Badger Road for a paving project. Delays should be expected in the area.
State Route 544: The road is fully closed both eastbound and westbound to the east of Everson from Robinson Street to Everson Road for the city of Everson project. Detours are set up using Robinson Road and Everson Street.
State Route 547: Traffic will alternate northbound and southbound from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, July 9 at Reese Hill Road for utility work.
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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Traffic Report: Bellingham Pride parade route; State Route 9 and I-5 updates."
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