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‘We’re working as fast as we can,’ but no estimate when I-5 to Bellingham will reopen

By David Rasbach, The Bellingham Herald
Published: November 17, 2021, 7:53am

BELLINGHAM — Interstate 5 through Ferndale has reopened, but the freeway still remains closed to northbound traffic near Lake Samish and there is no ETA when Bellingham will again begin accepting travelers from the south.

Washington State Department of Transportation Assistant Regional Administrator Chris Damitio said during a Tuesday, Nov. 16, Whatcom County online briefing “I don’t have good estimate,” when the interstate will reopen, though he said crews are working “vigorously” to reopen the stretch of road into Bellingham.

“We’re working as fast as we can, but I can’t give you an assessment now. I’m sorry,” Damitio said.

The freeway has been closed between Nulle Road and south Samish Way since Monday afternoon, Nov. 15, when heavy rains forced a 250- to 300-foot section of the hillside above northbound lanes near Lake Samish to slide across the freeway.

There were three slides in all Monday, Damitio said. And work Tuesday afternoon was hampered by another mudslide, WSDOT confirmed in a tweet.

“At this stage, we’re taking several steps to make sure that that slide and that area on the northbound lanes are safe and in good shape for our workers and traveling public to access the area, Damitio said. “We’ve got a geologist on the site. We’ve got an arborist on the site examining the site and again working vigorously to get that area cleaned up.”

A guardrail in the area also was damaged by the slides and must be repaired before the road can be reopened, Damitio said.

“We’re hopeful to open soon, but until we can be sure that we can work there safely and we can safely open to the public we won’t be doing that,” Damitio said.

“We know this is a difficult time for the freight hauling community. We just ask again, please follow the signs. SR-11, Chuckanut is closed. SR-9 is closed. Most of the local roads that are available are not suitable for freight haulers. We’ve had some incidents already, so please follow the recommendations.”

Whatcom County Public Works director said truck traffic that was attempting to detour around the closure on I-5 used local roads near Lake Samish that were saturated and caused “a tremendous amount of damage to that road surface.”

Whatcom County’s response to the flood has not yet been impacted by the closure of I-5 prohibiting the flow of supplies and equipment into the county, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Director of the Division of Emergency Management John Gargett said during the briefing.

“Now, if Interstate 5 doesn’t get reopened for a long period of time, that could potentially have an impact,” Gargett said. “However, as the other highways — Highway 9 — get open, we should be fine. We also can get supplies and support from Canada.”

Southbound travel also was closed Monday night due to water over the freeway, but crews were able to open I-5 southbound at Lake Samish Drive at 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, according to WSDOT tweets, but the northbound lanes remain closed at Nulle Road.

I-5 through Ferndale was reopened earlier in the afternoon Tuesday, though on- and off-ramps at Main Street and Axton Road in Ferndale remain closed.

Northbound lanes and the left southbound lane were closed Tuesday morning, because of water over the freeway due to the heavy rainstorm Saturday through Monday, Nov. 13-15. Southbound traffic was able to resume earlier Tuesday, but northbound lanes remained closed until the afternoon.

WSDOT also reported that the Iowa Street off-ramp at Iowa Street remains closed due to flooding at the underpass.

Every highway within Whatcom County likely has damage, Damitio said, but that damage cannot be assessed, let alone repaired, until the water has receded.

“Even though the rains have stopped, we have several highways closed due to the flooding occurring here in Whatcom County,” Damitio said. “Our crews have been working around the clock to clear clogged culverts, remove debris and try to restore travel on highways as much as is safely possible.”

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