The WSDOT Blog - Washington State Department of Transportation

How we’re hoping to finish our bridge preservation project in Mount Vernon sooner

2026-10-23T11:00:21.645-07:00

You spoke, Mount Vernon, and we listened. We then worked with our contractor and Mount Vernon officials to find a solution that will allow us to accelerate the remaining work on a project to repaint and preserve the historic State Route 536 Skagit River/Division Street Bridge and fully reopen to eastbound and westbound traffic several months early.

The SR 536 Skagit River/Division Street Bridge in Mount Vernon was last painted in 1990. A WSDOT project is now performing important preservation work on the bridge to extend its service life.

Finishing work sooner means we need to close the bridge in both directions to non-emergency vehicle traffic beginning Sunday, Nov. 1. This closure will last about two weeks, assuming the weather cooperates, but the full closure gives us an opportunity to fully open the bridge for the holiday season.

The bridge, which was built in 1953, was last painted in 1990, meaning it desperately needed this important preservation work to extend its service life. Our original plan closed the bridge to eastbound traffic on June 11. Though the bridge remained open to westbound vehicles, the eastbound closure was expected to last until work finished in early 2027.

Our contractor has made steady progress, but we’ve also heard strong interest in getting this work finished sooner and reducing the amount of time construction affects people and businesses on both sides of the bridge.

Anytime we disrupt the normal flow of traffic, especially when that disruption is months long as needed for construction, we know that people must rearrange their lives to accommodate. Commutes take longer, trips to town may be more difficult, errands, appointments and recreation all require more planning and often, more time.

When given the opportunity to reduce the overall duration of those impacts, we took another look. We can’t always change how a project is sequenced or how traffic control must operate, but in this case, we identified an opportunity to accelerate the remaining construction schedule and reopen the bridge sooner than originally expected.

A containment system has covered different sections of the SR 536 Skagit River Bridge during construction, protecting the river below from debris and paint.

Here is everything you need to know about what will happen:

What is the plan?

Beginning Sunday, Nov. 1, we will close the SR 536 Skagit River Bridge to both directions of non-emergency vehicle traffic. Passenger and freight vehicles must detour using I-5 and SR 20. This will allow us to accelerate construction and finish work faster. The good news is when we finish, we’ll be able to reopen the bridge to BOTH directions of traffic.

How long with the full closure last?

We expect the full closure will take about two weeks, provided the weather cooperates. Wet, windy and cold weather could extend how long the bridge is closed. If the weather stays dry and warm enough and strong winds hold off, we should be able to complete this important preservation project and open the bridge to all vehicles for the holiday season.

What about emergency services?

Emergency responders will still be able to use the bridge in both directions, just like they can now. They use a system already in emergency vehicles to trigger the temporary traffic signals at either end of the bridge. These signals are ONLY for emergency vehicles and will not change for passenger or freight vehicles, which must detour using I-5 and SR 20.

What about people walking or biking?

Access across the river will be maintained for pedestrians, bicyclists and people using mobility devices in both directions throughout the full closure, just as it is now. When we must close the bridge sidewalk, an Americans with Disability Act-compliant shuttle will be available in both directions.

Most of the painting work has been completed on the smaller, eastern span of the SR 536 Skagit River Bridge. Crews are actively working on the smaller, western span.

How does a full closure help speed up work?

Without a need to maintain a lane for traffic, crews have access to the full structure using the entire driving surface. This will allow them to complete the remaining tasks quicker and reopen the bridge sooner.

What work needs to be done?

Work is nearly complete on the larger, eastern span of the bridge. Crews also began blasting away old paint and years of rust and debris from the smaller western span and inspecting each steel piece so we could repair or replace pieces that have corrosion. We’ve also begun adding new layers of paint to the west span that will protect and preserve the structure for years to come

By the time the full closure begins Nov. 1, we expect to have most of the painting work done, provided the weather continues to be favorable throughout October. That leaves repairs to the driving surface, sealing joints, installing pavement markings and derigging the containment system. We also need to touch up paint where repairs are still being made or the containment system rigging prevented us from painting the bridge structure.

When will work be finished and the bridge reopen?

We expect the remaining work will take about two weeks to complete after we begin the full closure. Our goal is to reopen SR 536 for the holiday season. But that is a goal, not a guarantee. The one thing we cannot control is the weather. Cold, wet or windy weather will hamper our ability to meet that goal and could extend the length of the closure.

Crews are working to complete painting of the eastern span of the SR 536 Skagit River Bridge, but still have plenty of tasks to complete. These include driving surface repairs, derigging the containment system and touching up paint. They’ll focus on this work during the full closure.

What if the weather doesn’t cooperate?

The full closure will be extended. Unfortunately, we cannot switch back and allow one direction of traffic once we have fully closed the bridge to both directions of traffic.

If this speeds things up why not start earlier?

We still have work to complete before we get to the full closure. While a full closure will speed up repairs to the driving surface and derigging, the sand blasting and most of the painting can be done just about as fast while still allowing westbound traffic over the bridge. Fully closing it now would not speed up the process.

Will the bridge open to eastbound traffic before the full closure?

The bridge needs to remain reduced to one lane to make room for crews, machinery and the containment system while we sand blast and paint the western span. For that reason, the bridge will remain closed to eastbound traffic until we finish construction and the bridge fully reopens.

Why hasn’t traffic been alternating since the beginning?

During the design phase of this project, we looked at alternating eastbound and westbound SR 536 traffic. As part of this evaluation, we did a queue analysis, which showed backups could potentially reach a half mile through downtown Mount Vernon if we alternated traffic and be even longer depending on how many travelers voluntarily used a longer detour.

After consulting with officials from Mount Vernon, Skagit Transit, Mount Vernon School District and local emergency service providers, we determined those types of backups would significantly affect emergency response times to and from West Mount Vernon. To maintain current emergency service response times, we determined it was best to keep the bridge westbound only.

If the weather cooperates allowing work to finish, the SR 536 Skagit River Bridge could reopen to both directions of traffic in time for the holiday season.

If the full closure is speeding things up, why wasn’t a full closure used in the first place?

Even with a full closure from the beginning of the project, it would have taken much longer than two weeks to complete construction. After consulting with our partners, it was determined the length of that full closure would be too long, and we proceed with the plan to limit traffic to one direction for the duration of the project.

As work progressed, we heard the challenges people living and working on both sides of the river were having with the bridge reduced to a single lane. We revisited the idea of a full bridge closure to expedite work. Beginning Nov. 1 we are at a unique place in the sequencing of work where a shorter full closure will allow us to finish necessary work so we can fully reopen the bridge in about two weeks, pending cooperation from the weather.

Where can I get updates?

This blog will be your best source. We’ll provide regular, short updates about how work is progressing right here. We’ll also provide progress updates on our regional X and Bluesky accounts and in our weekly Mount Baker Area Newsletter.

WSDOT searching for missing plane near Okanogan

2026-10-11T09:31:07.395-07:00

FINAL: Oct. 11, 2026 at 7:50 p.m.

The search for a missing plane and passengers concluded Sunday evening, Oct. 11 after our search and rescue teams located the aircraft wreckage in Aeneas Valley near Tonasket. The pilot, 61-year-old Nicholas Grachanin and passenger Jim Merik were found deceased inside the aircraft.

Our agency and assisting partners located the wreckage and the two occupants at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. The families have been notified of today's findings. On behalf of the entire search and rescue team, we extend our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones who lost their lives. We are thankful to everyone who contributed their time, expertise and resource to this search effort.

This concludes our involvement in the mission. Further information will be released by the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office. Media questions about any investigation of cause can be directed to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Original post:

We are currently searching for a missing plane in the vicinity of US 97 near Okanogan.

Our Air Search and Rescue team was notified Saturday evening of a missing 1976 Piper Cub aircraft. The pilot and passenger left Penticton, British Columbia for Grangeville, Idaho. The pilot and a passenger were aboard when the pilot lost communication with Seattle Center air traffic control. The pilot's daughter subsequently contacted the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office to report the aircraft and its occupants missing.

Our Air Search and Rescue teams immediately began searching for the aircraft's last known radar locations between Oroville and Okanogan, using cell phone forensics to help identify potential search areas. Additional ground search resources from the Colville Confederated Tribes were also contacted to assist with the effort.

Search teams continue to look for the missing aircraft. No distress signals were received overnight.

Air Search and Rescue operations will continue Sunday, Oct. 11 with favorable weather conditions. An aircraft will follow helicopter flights through the search area. Anyone who thinks they saw or heard the plane Saturday night or spotted anything in the area should call the State Emergency Operations Center at 800-258-5990 with details. At this time, search officials do not need volunteers to conduct air or land searches.

Updates on the search will be posted on the WSDOT blog. Email updates from WSDOT are also available online by signing up and selecting the emergency news "air search and rescue" option. Barring new developments – which would be announced on the blog – the next update is planned for 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11.

WSDOT, by statute (RCW 47.68.380) is charged with the coordination and management of aerial search and rescue within the state. The agency works in conjunction with volunteer search and rescue groups, law enforcement and other agencies, such as the U.S. Navy, in carrying out such searches.

Taking the next step for SR 164 – join us

2026-10-06T15:50:48.104-07:00

Earlier this year, we asked people who travel SR 164 between Auburn and Enumclaw to share their experiences. More than 600 community members expressed their thoughts through surveys, focus groups and community events.

A map showing the study area from Dogwood Street East in Auburn to High Point Street in Enumclaw

Safety is a top concern. They shared challenges with speeding, difficult turns, walking and biking access, traffic congestion and travel reliability. They also told us they want improvements that respect the character of the communities along the corridor. If you participated in Phase 1, thank you. If you missed it, you can read about Phase 1 in our previous blog post.

Now we are ready for the next step.

We are inviting the public to join Phase 2 of the SR 164 Vision and Implementation Plan. This study looking at future transportation improvements along SR 164 from Dogwood Street Southeast in Auburn to Highpoint Street in Enumclaw.

What is Phase 2?

During Phase 1, we listened and learned.

During Phase 2, we are sharing potential improvement ideas based on what we heard and asking for your feedback.

These ideas cover walking, biking, rolling, driving, transit access and safety at locations across the corridor.

We want to know:

What do you like about these ideas?
What feedback do you have?
Are we missing anything?
What should we consider as we continue refining recommendations?

Visit the online open house

From Oct. 6 through Nov. 2, 2026, you can visit our online open house to:

Learn more about the study.
See potential improvement concepts.
Explore potential changes along different parts of the corridor.
Complete a survey and share your feedback.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Why your feedback matters

SR 164 connects homes, schools, jobs, services, businesses, and recreation throughout Auburn, the Muckleshoot community, unincorporated King County and Enumclaw.

Your experiences help us understand what works, what doesn't and what improvements could make the corridor feel less stressful and easier to use.

This is a planning study, not a construction project. The goal is to build a long-term vision and identify possible future improvements. The final plan will go to the Washington State Legislature to help inform future transportation decisions.

Join us in person

Want to talk with the project team face-to-face?

Join us for an in-person open house on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Chinook Elementary School. Spanish interpretation will be available.

Stay involved

There will be more ways to participate as the study continues. Future steps will include reviewing draft recommendations and giving feedback on the draft Vision and Implementation Plan.

Whether you drive, walk, bike, roll or take transit, your input can help shape the future of SR 164.

How to participate

Online open house and survey: Oct. 5 to Nov. 2, 2026
In-person open house: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Chinook Elementary School
Project webpage: SR 164 Vision and Implementation Plan

Questions? Contact Zack Howard at zachary.howard@wsdot.wa.gov or 206-464-1253.

Everything you need to know about SR 167 Expressway tolling

2026-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

The first section of the new SR 167 Expressway between Fife and SR 509 near the Port of Tacoma is now open. We couldn’t be more excited about this new road to help ease congestion on I-5 and other local roads. The expressway is currently free to use but come December it will be tolled.

A new direct route to SR 509 and the Port of Tacoma

This section of the SR 167 Expressway links I-5 in Fife and SR 509 near the Port of Tacoma. The new expressway gives drivers more options to travel through the area, offering a new route into and out of Tacoma. It’s also great news for freight by providing a more direct route to and from the Port of Tacoma that doesn’t involve using local roads. That will help ease heavy traffic at the 54th Avenue East and Port of Tacoma Road interchanges on I-5.

https://youtu.be/Zhuk7BArwqs?si=ATyckNywOl4Hka2D

Drivers can use the new expressway to travel north from SR 509 to northbound I-5 or hop on at 54th Avenue East and head to northbound I-5. However, there is no option to exit the expressway before I-5 until the remaining section of the expressway opens in 2029. From southbound I-5, drivers can exit at 54th Avenue East or continue to southbound SR 509.

You cannot access the SR 167 Expressway from northbound I-5 at this time.

All existing routes through the area will remain open and free to use. This new expressway just provides one more option and is the first step in building out critical connections between major roadways and local communities.

How tolling will work

All lanes on the new SR 167 Expressway will be tolled. For drivers with a two-axle vehicle like an SUV or sedan and a Good To Go! pass, rates will be $1 each way. For drivers without a Good To Go! pass who choose to Pay By Mail, the rate will be $3 per trip. Vehicles with three or more axles will pay a higher toll depending on the number of axles.

Like most toll roads in Washington, there won’t be any toll booths; you just drive through without stopping and we’ll charge a toll to your account or mail a bill to the vehicle’s registered owner after the trip.

Please note there are no HOV or motorcyclist exemptions on the new expressway; all drivers will pay a toll.

Prepare for driving on the new road with Good To Go!

Once tolling begins in the winter, to pay the lowest toll rate you’ll need to open a Good To Go! account, get a pass and install it on your vehicle. Good To Go! works on every toll road in Washington, and you can choose an automatic payment option, so you don’t have to worry about bills in the mail.

A Good To Go! sticker pass normally costs $5 but now for a limited time they're free. You can order your free pass with promo code FREESTICKER167 at checkout when ordering at MyGoodToGo.com. If you already have a Good To Go! pass it will work on the SR 167 Expressway.

Different types of Good To Go! passes

There are different kinds of Good To Go! passes, and all will work to pay the lowest rate on every toll road. Depending on your driving habits, some passes may be a better option than others. For example, if you usually drive with a few others in the car, a Flex Pass may be more appropriate, since carpoolers on I-405 and SR 167 express toll lanes can carpool toll-free. If you drive a motorcycle, a Motorcycle Pass may be the better pass option.

Any and all Good To Go! passes lock in the lowest toll rate on every toll road, so you really just want to choose the right pass for your driving situation.

The new SR 167 Expressway is different from the SR 167 Express Toll Lanes

The new SR 167 Expressway links I-5 near Fife and SR 509 near the Port of Tacoma, while the SR 167 express toll lanes run from SR 161 in Sumner to I-405 in Renton.

The toll rates, hours of operation, and rules of use are completely different between the two roads. Learn more about both roads and their differences on the Tolling on SR 167 webpage.

Visit our website for more information

Check out our new website GoodToGo167.com to learn more about the new SR 167 Expressway and all things tolling related. You can also order a free sticker pass for a limited time to help you save on tolls.

Orange barrels and 92 million sheets of toilet paper: A busy summer with our maintenance crews

2026-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

By: Tina Werner, WSDOT maintenance communications

Summertime = busy, am I right?

Whether it was cheering on your favorite sports team, camping in the mountains or hopping on a ferry, we’re sure you were busy these past few months. No matter where you went, chances are you encountered something else along the way.

Orange barrels. And lots of them.

Some of those barrels marked major construction projects. Others marked something much smaller, but no less important. An overnight pothole repair. Freshly painted lane markings. Guardrail replacement. A broken picnic table at a rest area that needed to be fixed.

Behind many of those orange barrels were some of the people who quietly keep Washington moving every day: our highway maintenance crews.

Maintenance crews used a “hydromill” while repairing potholes along eastbound Interstate 90 near Spokane this summer. This equipment allows crews to quickly remove rough sections of the road and pour new pavement during a single shift.

A crew member stripes southbound State Route 302 in Gig Harbor to allow for a new bike and pedestrian lane for safety. This work was prompted by citizen and partner agency requests, and an overall increase in all travel modes on SR 302.

Summer stats

Our crews repair signs, clear vegetation, sweep roads, remove fallen or dead trees, repair traffic signals, inspect drainage systems, collect bagged litter and patch thousands of potholes. They are also the same crews that plow highways in the winter and respond when wildfires, floods and other emergencies strike.

During the eastern Washington wildfires this summer, our maintenance crews helped close roads and documented and repaired damage like these burned signs.

They also help with some out-of-the ordinary tasks as well. This included staffing road or ramp closures for international soccer matches or – and we’re not making this up – when a semi full of corn spilled onto the road.

Oh shucks! Maintenance crews help clean up after a corn spill along the southbound I-5 ramp to Thorne Lane in July.

So, what did our crews accomplish this year? A lot.

From June 1, through Aug. 31, 2026, they:

Completed 1.6 million square feet of pavement repairs
Painted 5,301 lane miles of road stripes, helping keep travel lanes clearly marked
Painted more than 40,000 pavement markings, totaling nearly 1,100 miles. This includes things like arrows, crosswalks and stop bars that improve bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Removed 1,498 hazardous or dead trees to improve safety and visibility – a 27% increase from last summer
Swept 3,805 miles of roadway to clear small debris – a 1% increase from last summer
Installed 855 guideposts, providing 431 miles of lane delineation along state highways
Repaired 1,109 highway lights
Repaired 471 traffic signals
Inspected, cleaned or repaired 7,209 catch basins to help prevent flooding before the rainy season
Repaired 86 culverts, separate from our fish passage work which is completed as part of new construction projects
Removed 346,442 square feet of graffiti
Flew 88 drone flights to document disaster damage or inspect hard-to-reach areas and help identify repairs
Collected 318 tons of trash – the equivalent of about 42,351 full litter bags. (Litter is picked up by Ecology crews and Adopt-A-Highway volunteers and then our Maintenance crews gather and dispose of the bags)
All told, crews logged 53,815 unique work entries for highway maintenance tasks statewide.

And then there are the rest areas, which get a workout each summer.

This summer, travelers flushed our safety rest area toilets about 9.2 million times .
They also used about 92 million sheets of toilet paper – enough to stretch from Olympia to Spokane and back, with enough left over to gift-wrap Mount Rainier.
Crews also supplied 3,648 gallons of hand soap . That’s enough to fill 730 five-gallon buckets. Or enough soap for Washington’s largest-ever bubble party. You decide.

Crews replaced damaged guardrail from the SR 7 ramp to northbound I-5 in Tacoma. Crews also cut back vegetation, swept the road and cleaned up large debris during the five-hour closure.

The heroes of our highways

Nearly 1,500 highway maintenance workers are stationed from Forks to Pullman and everywhere else in between. These are our boots-on-the-ground crews. Many live in the communities where they work, travel the same roads you do and often work behind the scenes to make sure those roads you depend on remain safe and reliable.

At a high level, they are responsible for maintaining:

Nearly 19,000 lane miles
47 safety rest areas
3,502 state-owned bridges
55 tunnels
1,616 traffic signal systems (flashing beacons, traffic signals, etc.)
3,250 highway lights
278 ramp meters
946 electronic highway signs
26 weigh stations
Nearly 100,000 acres of rights of way

Their planned, daily workload can change in an instant depending on weather conditions, collisions, emergencies or whatever else lands on Washington’s highways – like corn.

In other words, their job description is a never-ending to-do list. Their work is prioritized based on safety.

The work doesn’t stop when the sun goes down

Our maintenance crews work around the clock to keep people moving. That includes working at night when it’s safe to do so. It’s a balance of making repairs when traffic volumes are lower (where possible) and keeping our crews safe and making emergency repairs when we need to.

We know what some of you might be thinking: “Well, aren’t you just doing your job, WSDOT?”

Yep. We are. We also think there’s value in showing you what that job actually looks like. They’ll keep doing all this work and more, but they need your help.

Maintenance crews repair overhead lights in the I- 5 Seattle Convention Center tunnel following a series of international soccer matches in the area.

Every orange barrel represents work to help keep travelers and goods moving across our state. These same barrels are protecting crews, who are working just feet away from moving traffic. These workers could be your neighbor. Your friend. Your relative. Next time you are traveling through a work zone, please slow down, pay attention and give them room to work safely.

A maintenance worker holds a stop sign to help direct traffic along SR 20 while crews add fresh striping to the highway this summer.

Join us

Does this work and photos we shared look fun? If you’re looking for work that makes a difference in communities across Washington, we’re hiring! Learn more about joining our highway maintenance team online.