Date:
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Contact:
Dustin Terpening, WSDOT Communications, (360) 757-5997 (Burlington)
Dave Crisman, WSDOT Project Engineer, (360) 848-7103 (Mount Vernon)
BELLINGHAM – Today, WSDOT will turn on a new traffic signal at the southbound Interstate 5 interchange with Fairhaven Parkway in Bellingham. The new signal will help relieve congestion and improve safety for the 18,000 drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians that use this interchange daily.
Crews plan to turn the signal on around 11 a.m. today, Thursday, Dec. 28. Drivers should be prepared for minor delays as crews place crosswalk and stop-bar stripes in the interchange.
“The new signal should help prevent high speed rear-end collisions for drivers exiting the freeway,” said Project Engineer Dave Crisman. “When the light is green, it will help move drivers quickly and safely off the exit, preventing them from backing up onto I-5.”
Until now, drivers exiting I-5 stopped at a stop sign and waited for a gap in traffic before trying to turn onto Fairhaven Parkway. This caused drivers to back up the exit and close to I-5, where drivers are going 60 mph or faster. The new signal should help prevent drivers from backing up onto I-5.
As part of this I-5 interchange improvement project, WSDOT also:
- Widened the southbound exit to two lanes
- Built a right turn lane to the southbound on ramp
- Installed sidewalks and street lights through the interchange
- Permanently closed access to and from 32nd Street at Fairhaven Parkway
- Widened and improved 30th Street and Donovan Street
This $2.5 million project was funded by the city of Bellingham and the 2003 Transportation Funding Package passed by the Washington State Legislature. The city of Bellingham contributed $727,000 to help pay for city street improvements. For more information about this project visit our project Web page at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/i5/sr11_sramps_oldfairhaven/.
< Back to News Home