BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Reconstruction of the Electric Avenue bridge and improvements to the new Holly Street bike lane are among the many projects coming to the streets of Bellingham.

The Bellingham City Council voted unanimously at its meeting on Monday, June 17, to approve the city’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for 2025-2030.

State law requires that cities develop the six-year plan to design, build and prepare funding for necessary transportation projects and programs.

Bellingham’s newly adopted plan identifies five programs and 19 projects that prioritize street preservation, nonmotorized transportation improvements and clean energy transportation. Among them is a project to replace and upgrade the new Holly Street bike lane, which council member Lisa Anderson says has drawn some concerns since it was installed in May 2024.

“My inbox has had plenty of correspondence about what’s happening down there and some of the concerns about the streeteries and the ability to make that turn down by the Wild Buffalo,” Anderson said at Monday’s council meeting.

Public Works director Eric Johnston says his department has already made a number of changes and will continue to make adjustments to the pilot project, but he adds there have been some noticeable payoffs from the initial trial.

“While the bike lane is kind of the visible aspect of the Holly Street project, a major benefit is that we are seeing a reduction in speeds, which are a benefit to pedestrians trying to cross the streets,” Johnston said at Monday’s meeting.

Johnston says that a more comprehensive look at the effectiveness of the bike lane will be given later this fall. The pilot project is expected to remain in place into 2025 before a future project is planned to extend it west from Bay Street to Broadway.

Another project to reconstruct and widen the Electric Avenue Bridge, which closed earlier this month due to structural issues, is included in the six-year plan, though the city is still searching for funding.

Find the rest of the transportation programs and projects here.