Plan to enjoy Artist Point’s fall colors? This Mount Baker Highway closure will impact when
Those wishing to take in the fall colors at Heather Meadows or Artist Point had better do so this weekend, or they’ll have to wait until next weekend.
Playing hooky to drive up the Mount Baker Highway during the work week won’t be much of an option.
The Washington State Department of Transportation will be fully closing State Route 542 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily from Monday, Oct. 3 through Friday, Oct. 7, between the Silver Fir campground and just west of the Razor Hone Creek (between mileposts 47 and 50) for its annual prewinter maintenance work.
“We understand that recreationalists are eager to take advantage of the remaining time that SR 542, the Road to Artist Point, is open before the seasonal closure and this full closure next week poses an inconvenience,” WSDOT spokesperson RB McKeon told The Bellingham Herald in an email Thursday, Sept. 29.
But the closure is necessary so that any large tree branches that have been weakened and could fall on the roadway with heavy snow or high winds can be removed, McKeon reported. WSDOT crews also will add material to the shoulder of the highway to replace what has eroded away during rain and snowmelt over the past year, make any needed pavement repairs and inspect culverts and ditches to make sure they are allowing water to flow as designed and remove any obvious blockages.
“A full closure of the roadway allows WSDOT crews to expedite prewinter maintenance activities by working in several work zones along Mt. Baker Highway,” McKeon wrote. “Additionally, because of the size and number of heavy machines brought in to perform this work, much of the roadway is blocked by equipment.”
McKeon said that those who wish to hike at a trailhead beyond milepost 50 during the work week will be allowed to do so as long as they are beyond the closure area before 7 a.m. and aware that they will not be allowed to return back down until after 4 p.m. Emergency vehicles needing immediate access through the closure will be accommodated.
“This is also the perfect time to explore other trails and scenic areas that you may not have had the chance to see, and that aren’t impacted by this work,” she wrote.
