You think Meridian Street traffic is bad now? Just wait until construction projects begin

Drivers on Meridian Street — by far Bellingham’s busiest road — will see construction and traffic delays for the next four years because of local and state public works projects.

Representatives of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the city of Bellingham discussed their plans for this year and beyond at a Bellingham City Council committee hearing Monday, June 17.

“This is a huge undertaking and will have some impacts that we wanted to share with you,” WSDOT’s Chris Damitio told the council.

Nearly 40,000 cars and trucks travel on Meridian Street at Interstate 5 every day, more than double the daily traffic volume of other major city streets such as Lakeway Drive and Sunset Drive, according to a 2023 survey.

Meridian Street is the main route for shoppers heading to Bellis Fair mall and to the other commercial centers and big-box stores that flank the 1.5-mile stretch from I-5 to Van Wyck Road, where Bellingham officials see the city expanding.

In addition, it’s a key north-south route for those who live in Bellingham’s northern neighborhoods or who commute to or from Lynden.

Businesses will remain open and accessible during all phases of construction, city and state officials said.

Much of the work will be focused on Meridian Street near I-5.

Some of the work will be done at night, and some will coincide with the 2026 World Cup soccer matches in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., an event that could cause heavy congestion.

Here’s what’s planned:

▪ A city sewer replacement project starting in fall.

▪ A state project to replace culverts where creeks flow under Meridian Street and I-5, starting in spring of 2026. WSDOT maintains both I-5 and Meridian Street/Guide Meridian, because it is State Route 539.

Sewer pipe extension

Bellingham is replacing and enlarging a sewer pipe starting near Birchwood Avenue and extending the sewer line north to Van Wyck Road, the eventual limit of city expansion.

Construction on the $16.9 million sewer project starts in September and will last until December 2025. Much of that work will be done at night, to minimize traffic disruptions, said Eric Johnston, director of the Public Works Department.

“This is a very, very expensive project. Yet it is a necessary project to meet our needs for the community to grow north,” Johnston told the City Council.

“A significant element driving the high cost is the traffic-control element associated with doing this work. In order to minimize the traffic disruptions to our community, the vast majority of the work will be done at night.” Johnston said.

Trenches must be dug to a depth of 12 to 18 feet, he said.

All of the sewer work, especially the work near I-5, must be complete before WSDOT starts its effort to replace the culverts.

Ensuring fish passage

After Bellingham’s sewer work is complete, the state will be replacing culverts where Baker Creek and Spring Creek flow under Meridian Street and I-5, as part of a years-long effort to widen salmon-bearing streams under a court order.

That $85.2 million project is scheduled to start in March 2026 and last through 2028, according to a timeline that WSDOT project engineer Megan Mosebar outlined Monday.

Mosebar said that drivers should expect lane reductions on Meridian Street and lane closures on East Bellis Fair Parkway.

“We plan to have at least one lane open in each direction while we do this,” Mosebar said.

Access to businesses will remain open, she said.

Statewide efforts to boost water flow in salmon-bearing streams by widening culverts and “daylighting” creeks and streams are part of a 2013 court ruling that said the state must protect salmon runs under treaties with its Indigenous people.

Drivers on I-5 could see lane reductions or even a detour while work is being done under the freeway, Mosebar said.

“We’ll most likely build a temporary bypass roadway just adjacent to I-5 while we build those (culverts), there might be single-lane reductions of I-5,” she said. “We know this is going to cause a lot of traffic impacts. We don;t have a lot of answers to those questions yet.”