All users of the Samish-Maple-Ellis-York street corridors – pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers – will see significant traffic impacts in fall 2020 as construction begins along ¾ mile of the Samish-Maple-Ellis corridor from Bill McDonald Parkway to Lakeway Drive in Bellingham, Washington. Later this fall the construction will continue north of Lakeway to York Street. This project is intended to improve transportation access for all users by improving street crossings and adding buffered bike lanes, improving the visibility of non-motorized commuters and reducing the potential for collisions.
Construction has begun and is anticipated to last through the end of 2020. This project is based on three plans that were developed with extensive public involvement – the 2009 and 2019 Samish Urban Village Plan, the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan, and the 2016-2017 Samish-Maple-Ellis corridor study.
The City is working with Colacurcio Brothers Construction Company, Inc. and Larry Brown Construction, Inc. to implement the work. Construction includes improvements to the Holly/Ellis/Lakeway intersection, reducing vehicle lanes and adding bike lanes throughout the corridor, median installation, and improvements to the Chestnut/Ellis intersection. Samish Way and Ellis, York and portions of Maple Street will be taken from two vehicle travel lanes in each direction to one vehicle travel lane and buffered bike lanes in each direction.
Business and local access, as well as through traffic, will be maintained as much as possible however road-users in the area should be prepared for substantial traffic impacts. Flaggers will help guide traffic through construction sites. There will be no changes to existing parking. Construction will occur between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. with some night work possible.
The construction schedule could change unexpectedly due to COVID-19 response. All contractors implementing City construction projects at this time are required to follow a health and safety plan for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Visit www.cob.org/samish-maple-ellis and 2020 TBD project webpage for the latest updates about this project.