The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says the beloved Bellingham Rock landmark will not be moved to another location.
After it was broken up to be removed, WSDOT crews determined it would not be relocated based on the way it broke up, a release said on Wednesday.
Instead, limited pieces of the rock will be given to members of the community, according to WSDOT.
The Rock was a well-known landmark along the northbound lanes of I-5 near Bellingham.
Over the last 50 years, it has become a famous “community billboard” as people have applied layer upon layer of paint.
WSDOT drafted a plan to remove the rock as part of a larger project in the area to restore a fish passage along the Lake and Chuckanut Creeks.
An initial proposal included breaking the rock into pieces and moving it to another location for public display, but as of Wednesday, that will no longer be the case.
It’s not clear how pieces of the rock will be distributed.
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