BOW – Work begins this week to stabilize and clear a significant rockslide that sent thousands of cubic yards of debris across both directions of State Route 11/Chuckanut Drive, closing the road on April 22 just south of milepost 10 near Blanchard Road.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will work six days a week on this emergency project to clear the highway, stabilize the slope, assess the road’s condition and make any needed repairs.

SR 11 remains closed in both directions between the Oyster Dome trail head and Chuckanut Manor. This closure is expected to continue through June.

Accessing businesses and recreation

People can detour around the closure to access businesses and recreation.

• From Bellingham and points north, use I-5 exit for SR 11/Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Drive (exit 250).
• From Burlington and points south, use I-5 exit for SR 11N/Chuckanut Drive and Bow-Edison (exit 231).

Stabilizing the hill, clearing the road

Stabilization efforts are underway and WSDOT is coordinating with BNSF Railway to ensure continued safety of the tracks below the slide area.

Crews will begin by breaking down and removing the largest boulders. After some of the debris is removed, crews will blanket the road surface to protect the pavement from further damage while they work on the rock face.

Crews who specialize in this type of work will use hand tools and compressed air to safely remove loose rock from the steep slope, working from top to bottom to reduce hazards. Once loose debris is cleared, rock bolts will be installed to anchor and secure any remaining material. These anchors require drilling deep into the rock face, followed by grouting and tightening bolts for stability.

Once the slope is stabilized, crews will remove any remaining debris and assess damage to the roadway surface, repair the pavement and restore the guardrail before finally reopening the road.

Other work on SR 11

In addition to the work at this location, crews will also complete some repairs in the vicinity of milepost 13, about 1 mile south of the Whatcom-Skagit county line, where a separate rockfall occurred in November 2024. Once the scaling work at the current slide is complete, crews will move north and repair work will be underway at both locations. During the rock removal near milepost 13, flaggers will control traffic with intermittent traffic holds. This will allow people to continue to travel on SR 11 and access businesses, trails and Larrabee State Park.

Real-time traffic information is available on the WSDOT app and WSDOT’s statewide travel map and social media channels.