Steve Roberts shot this photo on First Street last night. It sure is a thing of beauty, but if you don’t need to go out, consider staying home. Now’s a good time to binge on Netflix or read that book you keep putting off. Also a good time to avoid giving EMS and the ER  Continue Reading

Snow is currently in the forecast for this weekend. If you would like to learn more about how the County prioritizes and responds to snow events on County Roads please visit Map Gallery | San Juan County, WA see where you can view our priority maps and plans for snow removal. Please remember, winter weather  Continue Reading

This just in from WSF… Vehicle reservations for travel on the San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes after New Year’s Day are scheduled to open next week should the current four-boat service remain sustainable. Winter season reservations will be available at 7 a.m. PST on Friday, Dec. 17. The winter schedule runs from Jan.  Continue Reading

UPDATE – Killebrew Lake Road on Orcas Island is now open. Public Works completed their assessment Thursday morning and have determined that the road is safe to open. Laporte Road remains closed just past the intersection with John Jones Road.

A blocked culvert has created a dangerous situation on Laporte Road on Orcas Island. A large amount of water has built up on the uphill side of the road, and the roadway is in danger of failure, in particular with more rain in the forecast. The closure is on Laporte Road, just up from the  Continue Reading

Marguerite Place and Nash Street will undergo major improvements in the next two years thanks to $1,469,783 in grant funding awarded to the Town by the state’s Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).  Both projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2023. In addition to rebuilding the existing roadway, sidewalks will be added to  Continue Reading

This is from the SJC Dept. of Emergency Management… Things are looking good for a potential opening tomorrow (Tuesday – knock on wood). Public Works is awaiting delivery of barriers for the road edge that are due to arrive on the 5:30am ferry on Tuesday from Anacortes. Once those are placed and final site work  Continue Reading

Due to erosion having caused cavities beneath the roadbed, Crow Valley Road on Orcas Island will be closed to west-bound traffic (traffic heading away from Eastsound towards Island Hardware) between Orcas Road (Fowler’s Corner) and West Beach Road (Island Hardware). East-bound traffic is not impacted at this time. The closure will last at least into  Continue Reading

This just in from WSF… The Anacortes/San Juan Islands route will return to four-boat service and operate on its usual Fall Schedule starting Friday, Nov. 19. Customers are encouraged to check the four-boat “Anacortes/San Juan Islands” sailing schedule, which will be listed as inactive until it takes effect on Nov. 19.   Reservations will remain suspended  Continue Reading

The following announcement is from Washington State Ferries… Initial Plans to Restore Service We know and understand that our reduced service schedules are causing many challenges for thousands of riders across our system. Again, last month’s difficult decision to cut back sailings was only done when it became clear we didn’t have the crewing necessary  Continue Reading

The EDC recently launched a survey to determine economic and social impacts to San Juan County residents, from recent Washington State Ferries service disruptions.  Initial findings show that most residents responding to the survey reported negative impacts. Key findings from the survey: 447 participants from San Juan County responded to the survey.  Of those, 94%  Continue Reading

This just in from WSF… Washington State Ferries will temporarily operate reduced sailing schedules on most routes beginning this Saturday, Oct. 16. The change will help offer more predictable and reliable service systemwide in the face of crewing shortages due to a global shortage mariners that has been worsened by the pandemic. Therefore the following  Continue Reading

Washington State Department of Transportation shares this alert… EVERETT – Travelers who frequently use rest areas along Interstate 5 between Everett and the Canadian border will need to plan for long-term closures, beginning Friday, Oct. 15. The Washington State Department of Transportation closed the southbound I-5 Silver Lake Rest Area, located at milepost 188 in  Continue Reading

This just in from Washington State Ferries… Washington State Ferries will reduce the total number of reservations available during the two-week and two-day releases for the rest of the current season beginning Friday, Oct. 8. Starting Friday, only 20% of a sailing’s total capacity will open for each release rather than the usual 30%. The  Continue Reading

In the Update mailbag this morning we have this letter from San Juan County Council member Cindy Wolf… Hello Editor, Census numbers are in and the proposed redistricting maps are out. You can see them at https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps. In my opinion, the strongest move we can make this week for the future of our ferry system  Continue Reading

“Local Access on Harrison Street from Geneste Street to Turn Point Road will be impacted while Contractors replace sewer mains and repave,” said Administrator Wilson. “We ask the neighborhood for patience as we work through this necessary disruption.” Traffic on Harrison Street will be disrupted in October while the Contractor replaces the sewer main and  Continue Reading