RB McKeon, communications, 360-757-5963 Mikkel Lamay, project engineer, 360-757-5999  

BELLINGHAM – A pair of culverts under Interstate 5 and State Route 11 in south Bellingham have blocked salmon and other fish from traveling upstream for years. Now a Washington State Department of Transportation project to replace those culverts will mean lane closures and detours for people who travel through that area.

Granite Construction, WSDOT’s construction partner, will begin work on April 19. This project will take about a year and a half to complete, finishing in fall 2022.

What people can expect Daytime and nighttime work along I-5 south of SR 11/Old Fairhaven Parkway and SR 11 at 30th Street will require lane closures, detours and speed reductions. Lane closures will primarily be Sunday through Thursday between 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Pedestrians and bicyclists who utilize SR 11 will also be detoured around the work zone for a short time to ensure their safety.

During the closures, Granite will remove the culverts that keep fish from continuing upstream and construct a new bridge at I-5 and replace the culvert at SR 11 with a structure fish can more easily navigate.

Granite Construction is hosting a virtual community meeting for people and area business owners interested in the project at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 13. People interested in attending should join using this link. Current information about the project will be available through email updates and @wsdot_north on Twitter once work begins.

Restoring Padden Creek WSDOT has spent nearly three decades improving fish passage and reconnecting streams to keep waterways healthy. This project builds on the department’s existing partnership with the city of Bellingham. In 2015, WSDOT and the city moved a section of Padden creek, out of a 120-year old tunnel into a new channel, restoring 2,300 feet of Padden Creek, improving fish habitat and reducing flooding risks to more than 150 homes in Bellingham’s Happy Valley neighborhood.