Bakerview I-5 interchange improvements Open House Oct. 25

Information Open House at Alderwood Elementary School

October 10, 2016 - by Amy Cloud, Communications and Outreach

Plans are in the works to improve access to I-5 at Bakerview Road in north Bellingham. Nearby residents, area business owners, those who travel through the area and all with an interest are invited to an informational Open House to see what options are under final review.

The Open House will be 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 at the Alderwood Elementary School cafeteria, located at 3400 Hollywood Avenue in Bellingham.

Representatives from the City of Bellingham Public Works and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will display, and be able to discuss, alternative approaches for making major transportation improvements to the Bakerview/I-5 interchange. 

The public is encouraged to visit and interact with City and WSDOT staff who can answer questions, listen to ideas, and address concerns about existing conditions or any of the alternatives.  More information is available on the project web page at https://www.cob.org/gov/projects/Pages/Public%20Works/west-bakerview-interstate-5-interchange-improvements.aspx.

The City and WSDOT are completing a two-year study called an “Interchange Justification Report” (IJR), with the Federal Highway Administration, Whatcom County, Port of Bellingham, Whatcom Transportation Authority, the City of Ferndale and Lummi Nation.  The coalition has been meeting monthly to review what began as 17 alternatives, narrowing the list to five options that then received in-depth transportation and safety analysis to identify the best option for improving multimodal mobility and circulation while reducing traffic congestion across the I-5 overpass to support economic development in Bellingham. 

In 2015, the Washington legislature allocated $10 million dollars in “Connecting Washington” gas tax funds for future interchange improvements at West Bakerview/I-5 in 2019-2020.  The IJR process is expected to conclude in 2016 with a recommendation for a set of scalable improvements that could be constructed in step-wise fashion over time as funding becomes available. 

Chris Comeau, AICP-CTP, Transportation Planner                  John Shambaugh, Planning Manager
Bellingham Public Works Engineering                                      WSDOT NW Region/Mt. Baker Area
(360) 778-7946 or ccomeau@cob.org                                        (360) 757-5981 or ShambaJ@wsdot.wa.gov 


Media Contact

​Chris Comeau, Transportation Planner
City of Bellingham, Public Works Engineering
(360) 778-7946
ccomeau@cob.org


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