Washington State Route 546
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Auxiliary route of I-5 | ||||
Maintained by WSDOT | ||||
Length | 8.02 mi[1] (12.91 km) | |||
Existed | 1964–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | SR 539 near Lynden | |||
East end | SR 9 near Sumas | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Washington | |||
Counties | Whatcom | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 546 (SR 546) is a state highway in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It runs east–west for 8 miles (13 km) near the Canadian border, connecting SR 539 near Lynden to SR 9 near Nooksack and Sumas. The highway is a major freight corridor and serves as an alternate route between Bellingham and the Sumas border crossing.
The highway runs along Badger Road, which was built in the 1890s and paved by the county government in 1922 per the request of citizen petitions. It was incorporated into the state highway system from 1937 to 1951 as part of
Route description
SR 546 begins at an intersection with SR 539 and Badger Road northwest of Lynden, located about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) south of the Canadian border.[2] The highway travels east on Badger Road across the northern outskirts of Lynden and its residential neighborhoods, traversing a pair of roundabouts at Depot Road and Bender Road.[3] After passing more residential areas, a small industrial park, and a third roundabout at Northwood Road,[4][5] SR 546 leaves Lynden city limits and descends into the lower Nooksack Valley, a flat and rural area with views of Mount Baker.[3] The highway passes several farms and forested plots before it crosses over a branch railroad belonging to the BNSF Railway and reaches a junction with SR 9.[6] SR 546 terminates at the junction, located adjacent to the Nooksack Valley High School campus and approximately four miles (6.4 km) southwest of Sumas, and SR 9 continues east onto Badger Road on its way towards Sumas.[3][7]
SR 546 runs through Lynden and the outlying rural areas as a two-lane highway with a posted
History
Badger Road was once part of the
The terminus of SSH 1A was moved to an intersection with
In the 2000s, WSDOT began long-term planning for the SR 546 corridor, including determining replacements or retrofits for several intersections in northern Lynden that were the site of several major collisions in the early 2010s.[26] Two roundabouts, located one-half mile (0.8 km) apart at Depot Road and Bender Road, were constructed in 2013 using $5.6 million in federal border funding.[27][28] Construction of a third roundabout, located at Northwood Road, was completed in July 2016 and required road traffic to be restricted to alternating, one-way patterns.[4][29] The western terminus of SR 546 is planned to be converted into a multi-lane roundabout with SR 539 in the mid-to-late 2020s as part of the state government's plans for the Guide Meridian corridor.[30]
Major intersections
The entire highway is in Whatcom County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lynden | 0.00 | 0.00 | SR 539 (Guide Meridian Road) – Bellingham, Canadian Customs | Western terminus | |
| 8.02 | 12.91 | SR 9 – Sumas, Everson | Eastern terminus | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
References
- ^ a b Multimodal Planning Division (January 3, 2018). State Highway Log Planning Report 2017, SR 2 to SR 971 (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 1654–1655. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ a b "RCW 47.17.805: State route No. 546". Washington State Legislature. 1970. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Corridor Sketch Summary – SR 546/SR 9: SR 546/SR 539 Jct to SR 9 to Canadian Border" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. March 26, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Gallagher, Dave (July 7, 2016). "New roundabout being built on East Badger Road". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Chapter 8: North Lynden Sub-Area" (PDF). City of Lynden Comprehensive Plan (Report). City of Lynden. April 2005. p. 4. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- Washington State Transportation Commission. May 2006. pp. 11–12. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
- ^ Google (September 13, 2018). "State Route 546" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Appendix A: Transportation Element" (PDF). City of Lynden Comprehensive Plan (Report). City of Lynden. September 2016. p. 14. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ 2017 Update of FMSIB Strategic Freight Corridors (PDF) (Map). Washington State Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board. November 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Transportation Commission List of Highways of Statewide Significance" (PDF). Washington State Transportation Commission. July 26, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "State Highway National Highway System Routes in Washington" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "What is the National Highway System?". Federal Highway Administration. January 31, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ 2016 Annual Traffic Report (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. 2017. p. 212. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Sumas Quadrangle, Washington (Whatcom County) (Topographic map). 1:62,500. United States Geological Survey. 1906. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "To Finish Paving Lynden-Sumas Road". Lynden Tribune. March 30, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rand McNally Official 1925 Auto Trails Map of Washington and Oregon (Map). 1:1,077,120. Rand McNally. 1925. Retrieved September 13, 2018 – via David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
- Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ "Chapter 207: Classification of Public Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1937. Washington State Legislature. March 18, 1937. p. 994. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- Washington State Archives.
- ^ "Chapter 273: Establishing Primary and Secondary Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1951. Washington State Legislature. March 20, 1951. p. 917. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ H. M. Gousha Company (1956). Highway Map of Washington (Map). 1 inch ≈ 18 miles. Shell Oil Company. Retrieved September 13, 2018 – via David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
- ^ "Chapter 172: Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1951. Washington State Legislature. March 21, 1957. p. 637. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Lynden Quadrangle, Washington—Whatcom Co (Topographic map). 1:62,500. United States Geological Survey. 1954 [reprinted 1960]. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- Washington State Highway Commission. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 17, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Paben, Jared (April 25, 2011). "Roundabouts planned for Badger Road at Depot, Bender roads". The Bellingham Herald.
- ^ "SR 546 - Depot Road and Bender Road – Intersection Improvements". Washington State Department of Transportation. October 2013. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ Schwartz, Ralph (July 18, 2013). "Lynden's road projects come at height of fair and festival season". The Bellingham Herald.
- ^ "Work has started on new Badger Road roundabout". Lynden Tribune. July 12, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
- ^ Newcomb, Tim (May 5, 2016). "Guide to widen in Lynden". Lynden Tribune. Retrieved September 13, 2018.