With the first week of June comes the launch of high school and college graduation season, which increases traffic through and around Bellingham. Other travel impacts include street and construction projects underway by the state, county and city. City crews continue alley grade work which, along with the following projects, could impact traffic. Please travel with care.
NEW: Little Squalicum Estuary
Construction crews will begin survey and site layout for this habitat project at Little Squalicum Park. Construction equipment and personnel will begin mobilizing, accessing the project site from Lindbergh Drive. The Park will be fully closed on the water side of Marine Drive; it will remain open on the land side of Marine Drive, with access from Bellingham Technical College and West Illinois Street. For more information, visit the Little Squalicum Estuary project webpage or contact Freeman Anthony, P.E., via fanthony@cob.org or (360) 778-7924.
Mill Avenue overlay
Crews are finishing sidewalks and retaining walls for the Mill Street overlay project and will finish grading and paving driveways over the new weeks, followed by preparation for asphalt patching. Residents can expect access limitations and substantial traffic impacts as the contractor continues work which includes tree removal in some areas. Road closures and one-way access – including along Samish Way – and narrowed roadways, such as on 40th Street, will occur and detours will be posted. For more information, visit the Mill Avenue overlay project website or contact Freeman Anthony P.E. at fanthony@cob.org or (360) 778-7924.
City Operations Center – Pacific and Carolina streets
At the site of the City’s new administrative services building, work is progressing quickly. In fact, both the Operations Center and the vehicle barn should be complete before the end of the year. Roofing, plumbing, electrical work and windows installation are nearly done at the Ops Center. Across the yard in the southwest corner, phase two continues. The concrete slab has been poured and steel framing begins shortly, following the delivery of steel by ten large trucks. While a section of Nevada Street is closed to traffic due to construction, the sidewalk remains open. There may be occasional additional truck traffic. To learn more about any of this work, visit the project webpage or contact Chris Jacox, at cjjacox@cob.org or (360) 778-7700.
West Cemetery Creek water quality improvements
The West Cemetery Creek Water Quality Improvement project includes work to install sediment control-and-capture structures along with stormwater outfall repairs within a portion of the Creek. These improvements will help reduce sediment in the creek and improve its stability. The project includes installation of large woody debris and repair of existing outfalls. This summer, work areas will be along the westbound lanes of Lakeway and Old Lakeway drive. Trail closures are posted and marked, with alternate routes identified. For more information visit the West Cemetery Creek Water Quality Improvements or West Cemetery project webpage or contact Freeman Anthony P.E. at fanthony@cob.org or (360) 778-7924.
State and Ellis – bridge replacement
A project to replace an 80-year-old wood-supported bridge on one of the major traffic routes through Bellingham provides a new single-span concrete structure over Whatcom Creek. The wooden piles within Whatcom Creek have been removed and the in-stream habitat below the bridge restored. The bridge is open with some work remaining to be completed, such as handrail installation and cleanup. All remaining work will be completed with lane closures, the road will not be closed again for the project. Typical work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with intermittent lane closures. For more information, please contact Aric Smathers, P.E. project engineer, at (360) 778-7942 or arsmathers@cob.org or visit the State and Ellis bridge replacement project webpage.
Stormwater facility rebuild – Park Place
The stormwater facility at 123 Park Place, east of Britton Road and North Shore Drive, is being rebuilt to remove phosphorus from stormwater heading into Lake Whatcom. Stormwater will be treated with Phosphorus Optimized Stormwater Treatment (POST) material, or media, which is a soil mixed with other components to facilitate the removal of the phosphorus from the stormwater before it is released into the lake. The POST system is a new stormwater treatment system; this is the first full-size system installed with the POST media for stormwater treatment. During the project, travelers can expect increased traffic during construction and intermittent lane closures on North Shore Drive and adjacent to the road. Crews have begun the project’s electrical work, which will be completed by the end of June and the facility will be online for stormwater treatment. For more information, please contact Aric Smathers, P.E. project engineer, at (360) 778-7942 or arsmathers@cob.org or visit the Park Place Water Quality Facility Reconstruction project webpage.
Sanitary sewer rehab – Whatcom Creek
At times over the next couple months bypass and sewer rehabilitation work will require closure and detouring of a portion of the Whatcom Creek trail and may include short-term impacts to traffic on James Street or Meador Avenue south of the creek. A map of the trail closure is available on the project webpage. The project limits start near the auto dealership at the intersection of Nevada Street and Whatcom Creek, and continue west along Whatcom Creek trail, around another car dealership, through the Bellingham School District bus property, and should continue south on Humboldt Street, west on Fraser Street, through the Bellingham Housing Authority, south on Franklin Street, across Ellis Street and along York Street ending just west of State Street. For more information and a site map visit the Whatcom Creek Trunk Main website or contact Craig Mueller, P.E., the project engineer, at camueller@cob.org or (360) 778-7922.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
WSDOT recommends planning ahead for Memorial weekend, a popular travel time. The state has traffic volume charts to help travelers plan their routes and timing. Drivers can get real-time traffic information on their phone with the WSDOT traffic app or via the WSDOT north Twitter feed.
Whatcom County
Work continues on Marine Drive, near Bellingham, with access reduced to one lane at times. For updates on other County projects near Bellingham, visit the Whatcom County Public Works website. There is an option to subscribe for regular updates.
This report is provided as a public service based on currently available information. When traveling through a construction area – whether walking, cycling or driving – please be patient and obey flaggers. When it’s dark, make sure you’re visible to others. Planned road closures and restrictions are necessary to allow for a variety of work including resurfacing, sidewalk construction, water and sewer main work, and utility cuts. Dates, times and work locations may vary, depending on weather or last-minute changes in work schedules. For more information, email AskPW@cob.org.
