Here’s why Mount Baker Highway was down to one lane

Robert Mittendorf
·1 min read
1

Fallen trees that were slowing travel on Mount Baker Highway near Nooksack Falls at the start of the Independence Day weekend have been removed.

Several crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation worked to remove the trees early Friday, July 1, a WSDOT official told The Bellingham Herald in a Twitter message.

“The main concern is a tree about 4 feet in diameter across the road that requires heavy machinery to remove. We have several crews on scene working to remove it right now,” WSDOT said.

Eastbound and westbound traffic was alternating in a single lane at milepost 40, just west of Nooksack Falls, a popular tourist destination.

That location is east of Glacier’s Mountain Village, where the food and fuel services are located as the road enters the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

WSDOT said it was unknown why the trees fell.

Mount Baker Highway is officially called State Route 542, and it runs from Bellingham near Interstate 5, where it is called Sunset Drive, to its end at milepost 58, which is Artist Point.

WSDOT crews are continuing to work on clearing the road to Artist Point after its winter snow closure, but an opening date is unavailable.