Bellingham drivers may soon see a decrease in congestion at problem areas such as Sunset Drive with the opening of a new arterial that passes under Interstate 5.
The new Birchwood Avenue — formerly Orchard Drive extension — adds the first I-5 crossing since the interstate opened in Bellingham in 1964. It links the city center with northern neighborhoods that have plans for significant growth.
“This new freeway underpass and connector route is important not just for Bellingham’s northern neighborhoods, but the entire city,” Public Works Director Eric Johnston said in a statement. “In addition to a new option for first responders, Birchwood extends our city’s network for cyclists and pedestrians.”
The road, funded by a Connecting Washington grant through the Washington Department of Transportation and the state legislature, connects the Cornwall Park neighborhood to the King Mountain neighborhood. More than 1,000 residential housing units and 40,000 square feet of commercial development are planned for the King Mountain neighborhood, which consists of 635 acres between the Meridian and Irongate Neighborhoods.
The new Birchwood Avenue will provide a vital link to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for residents of King Mountain and ease traffic at nearby I-5 crossings and on James Street, where traffic is projected to increase as the area develops.
Project engineer Craig Mueller estimated the connector route will see 6,000 vehicles per day — traffic that otherwise would have crossed I-5 at either Meridian or Sunset. The decrease in traffic (and headaches) at those congested areas might be well worth the more than $12 million that funded the project.
Though the road was all but completed last fall, it remained closed while the city awaited light poles that were delayed because of supply chain issues.
A sidewalk is located on the north side of the road, and bicycle lanes run in both directions. Bicyclists wishing to access Sunset Square and other areas east of I-5 now have a safe and easy alternative to Sunset Drive. In addition, pedestrians and cyclists can use Squalicum Creek Trail, which runs the length of the development.
“The city emphasizes multimodal transportation on all projects where possible and applicable,” said Amy Cloud, a spokesperson for the city’s Public Works Department.
Travelers can access the new arterial at the intersection of Birchwood Avenue and Squalicum Parkway, now controlled by a stop sign, or at a new stoplight at James Street and Orchard Drive.
The city’s transportation planner Chris Comeau said plans are in place for the construction of homes and medical office buildings on the vacant land northwest of Birchwood and Squalicum Parkway and north of the intersection at James and Orchard Drive.
Comeau said the new Birchwood Drive is the result of more than a decade of planning and negotiation with adjacent landowners, state transportation officials and state and federal environmental agencies.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the Orchard Drive extension project cost, which included only construction costs. The total cost of the project was more than $12 million. The story was updated to reflect this change on Feb. 2, at 9:30 a.m. The Cascadia Daily News regrets the error.
