Skagit River Bridge collapse; no changes to Institute programs

As most of you know, getting around in northwestern Washington got a little bit trickier last month when the Interstate 5 bridge collapsed in to the Skagit River. Luckily, nobody was seriously injured, and concerns have shifted to travel hassles. All of our programs at the Learning Center and in the field are running as scheduled, but we are advising visitors destined for the Learning Center from the Seattle area and other points to the south to give yourself approximately 30 minutes extra for navigating the detour, or better yet, consider taking the Highway 530 Arlington-to-Rockport route. Visitors destined for the Learning Center coming from Bellingham and other points north are advised to take the Cook Road exit to connect with Highway 20.
The Washington State DOT website has a detour map at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Construction/PugetSound/detourmap.html.
Please feel free to call us at (360) 854-2599 if you have questions.