State Street in Bellingham to reopen after a nearly year-long closure due to bridge replacement

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — City of Bellingham Public Works say motorists can expect State Street to be reopened at Ellis Street after a nearly year-long closure to allow for replacement of a bridge built in the late 1930s.

Street detours and lane closures began early in April 2021 with the full bridge closure happening a month later that resulted in closing State Street while Ellis Street remained open for northbound traffic.

The closure was needed to allow replacing the State and Ellis bridge, a timber structure bridge originally built in the late 1930s that was supported on wooden piles. The bridge has since gradually deteriorated and required replacement, according to Public Works officials.

State and Ellis bridge prior to the construction project. Photo courtesy of City of Bellingham

The new bridge structure is a single span concrete structure over Whatcom Creek and the wooden piles have been removed.

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Work continued on the new State Street and Ellis Street bridge a week before the expected reopening. Photo courtesy of City of Bellingham

The project was originally expected to take up to 9 months to complete.

As of April 15th, City of Bellingham Public Works officials said contractor crews were focused on completing sidewalk and lane striping, sign placement and some cleanup in preparation for project completion. This week utility companies were expected be on-site to replace utility lines which were moved for construction. It was said the bridge will be open to traffic by 5pm on Friday, April 22nd.

Some future lane closures can be expected as road striping will need to be replaced and will be completed when the weather allows.