50-year-old Bellingham landmark gone for good after WSDOT relocation plan falls through

A landmark that served as a community billboard along I-5 in Bellingham for more than five decades is gone for good.

The Bellingham Rock will not be relocated after all, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) stated in a news release Wednesday.

WSDOT planned to relocate the rock because it was in the way of the I-5 fish passage project. Crews were going to break the rock apart and then relocate it to private land, where the owner agreed to display it to the public, but the agency stated, “Based on the way the rock broke apart, it will not be relocated.”

A limited number of pieces of the rock will be given to interested community members.

WSDOT says it had to remove Bellingham Rock

WSDOT tried to find a way to maintain the rock, but determined that because it sits directly within the footprint of work needed to complete the project, it had to be removed. The rock was in the construction area of Chuckanut Creek, where contractors will replace culverts that block native fish from passing.

“This work is part of a statewide effort to correct fish passage barriers and comply with a federal court injunction requiring the state to open habitat for salmon and other species,” the news release stated.

WSDOT noted the rock holds deep meaning for the community, but that the agency had to move forward with the project to meet legal requirements.

Fieldwork documented the rock as “a unique geological feature that has been used for decades as a community message space,” WSDOT stated.

Crews planned to remove paint, along with other environmentally hazardous materials, from the rock’s surface and surrounding soil.

WSDOT said crews would use small tools to chip paint from the rock, and specialized chemicals to dissolve remaining layers. Once the paint was removed, crews would break the rock into smaller pieces by drilling holes and using expansive grout to slowly create cracks. The agency said no explosives would be used.

WSDOT also noted that because the rock weighs more than 100 tons, it couldn’t be moved without high-cost, specialized equipment and permits. The agency originally asked public agencies to take the rock, but none were interested.

Three new bridges being built along I-5, Old Samish Road

The work at Chuckanut Creek includes building three new bridges along northbound and southbound I-5 and Old Samish Road. Once complete, nearly three-quarters of a mile of additional habitat for salmon and steelhead will be open.

To complete the work, northbound and southbound I-5 traffic will shift onto temporary two-lane bypass roads during construction in late spring and summer. WSDOT will also close Old Samish Road so southbound I-5 can use a short section of the Whatcom County road as a bypass.

It will remain closed while crews build a new bridge over Chuckanut Creek.

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