Traffic Payout

No, we’re not kidding. We’re shrink-wrapping an entire bridge on SR 542 (Mount Baker Highway) in Whatcom County. It looks a bit like a giant Twinkie.



Before you start thinking that we’ve lost our minds, there’s method to the madness. Crews will spend three months cleaning, repairing and repainting the Nooksack River bridge on Mount Baker Highway just west of the town of Glacier. Built in 1931, the bridge gets repaired and repainted every 15 to 20 years.

The giant sheets of shrink wrap swaddling the bridge help keep any debris from falling into the river and keep crews on schedule, regardless of the weather. Plus, it looks really cool. This is the first time we’ve used the industrial-strength shrink-wrap method as a way to contain debris.