Washington State Route 530 is mostly rural 50.45-mile highway located in Skagit County and Snohomish County. As presently configured Washington State Route 530 begins at Washington State Route 20 in Rockport and terminates at Interstate 5 near Smokey Point.
Much of what is now Washington State Route 530 was originally commissioned as Secondary State Highway 1E. The first segment between Conway to Arlington was mostly repurposed from the original alignment of US Route 99 in 1937. The corridor was further extended east of Arlington to Darrington in 1957.
Following the 1964 State Highway renumbering Secondary State Highway 1E would be designated as Washington State Route 530. The highway was extended northeast of Darrington to Rockport in 1983. The western terminus would be truncated from Conway to Interstate 5 near Smokey Point in 1991. Despite being truncated for decades the mileage present on Washington State Route 530 is still reflective of a western terminus in Conway.
Washington State Route 530 can be seen below as it was displayed on the 1996 Washington Official State Highway map.
Part 1; the history of Washington State Route 530
Much of the development of modern Washington State Route 530 is heavily tied to the town of Darrington. Darrington is located near the confluence of the Stillaguamish and Sauk Rivers. This river confluence was a known settlement of the Sauk-Suiattle tribe.
Surveyors from the Northern Pacific Railway would arrive in what is now Darrington circa 1870. The surveyors were looking for a viable routing over the Cascade Mountains. The mountains east of the Stillaguamish River and Sauk River were ultimately found to be wanting for a favorable railroad gradient.
During the 1880s much of the western Cascades Mountains would become popular for gold prospecting. The current town site of Darrington began to evolve as a hub for miners which was known as the Sauk Prairie Camp. In 1889 a wagon road from Sauk Prairie Camp was constructed 45 miles southeast to the Monte Cristo town site near namesake Monte Cristo Peak. Ultimately Sauk Prairie Camp began to attract numerous logging interests.
As Sauk Prairie Camp began to evolve into an established community it would come to be known as "The Portage." During July 1891 the community would vote on an official town name in advance of receiving Post Office Service. The name "Barrington" was chosen in reference to the maiden name of a local settler. The name was mistaken by the Postal Service as "Darrington" but was never corrected.
The Darrington town site can be seen on the 1899 United States Geological Survey map of Stillaguamish. The Monte Cristo Road can be seen departing southeast along the Sauk River but Darrington itself is shown to not have any infrastructure connecting to the rest of Washington. The nearest roadway at the time was located several miles west of Darrington in Oso on the northern bank of the Stillaguamish River. The Monte Cristo Road now forms part of Mountain Loop Highway. Much of the stage corridor was replaced by the Everett & Monte Cristo Railway in 1891.
During 1900 the Northern Pacific Railway began construction of a line originating from Arlington east to Darrington. This spur line was completed in 1901 and included construction of a depot. By around 1910 the road east of Oso was also extended to Darrington. The roadway between Arlington and Darrington was paved by 1916 by Snohomish County. A 1956 Reconnaissance Report by the Washington Department of Highways referenced the conditions then present between Arlington-Darrington.
In 1934 the State of Washington constructed a new direct alignment for US Route 99 and Primary State Highway 1 between Smokey Point directly to Mount Vernon. This direct alignment departed Smokey Point Boulevard at what is now 200th Street Northeast via a bypass of Silvana, Stanwood and Conway. In 1937 the original alignment would be designated as Secondary State Highway 1E. The designation of Secondary State Highway 1E also included a portion of highway from Smokey Point Boulevard east to Arlington.
Secondary State Highway 1E would comprise the first portion of highway in the State Highway System which would later become part of Washington State Route 530. The highway can be seen for the first time on the 1938 Washington Department of Highways map.
Darington would incorporate as a town on October 15, 1945. The incorporation would see the community's profile continue to rise in the years after World War II. Post-War Darrington was still a major hub of the logging industry and was inadequately served via existing roads.
1955 Legislative Chapter 383 would fund a study for an extension of Secondary State Highway 1E east of Arlington to Darrington. As noted above, said reconnaissance study was carried out by the Washington Department of Highways in 1956. The survey maps shown the then proposed alignment for Secondary State Highway 1E between Arlington and Darrington. Much of the proposed new routing was located south of the existing Snohomish County owned highway.
Secondary State Highway 1E would be formally extended to Darrington by way of 1957 Legislative Chapter 172. The completed new alignment of Secondary State Highway 1E between Arlington and Mountain Loop Road in Darrington can be seen on the 1959 Washington Department of Highways map.
As part of the wider 1964 State Highway Renumbering the corridor of Secondary State Highway 1E was designated as Washington State Route 530. The then new designation can be seen on the 1964 Washington Department of Highways map.
Washington State Route 530 would greatly reduce the need for passenger rail service to Darrington. The North Pacific Railway shuttered passenger service in the 1960s and demolished the Darrington depot in 1967.
In 1983 Washington State Route 530 was extended north of Darrington overlapping existing roads to Washington State Route 20 in Rockport. In 1991 the segment of highway along Pioneer Highway west of Interstate 5 to Conway via Silvana was deleted from the State Highway System. The current scale of Washington State Route 530 appears on the 1996 Washington Official State Highway map. As currently configured the highway is 50.45 miles spanning from Washington State Route 20 at Rockport to Interstate 5 near Smokey Point.
Part 2; scenes along Washington State Route 530
Westbound Washington State Route 530 branches from Washington State Route 20 in Rockport of Skagit County.
Washington State Route 530 initially follows the east bank of the Sauk River. Near Sauk River Christian Camp the highway crosses the river via a Parker through truss. This 501-foot-long structure was constructed in 1958 by Skagit County.
Interstate 5 is signed as being 31 miles away as Washington State Route 530 departs Darrington.
Washington State Route 530 passes through the community of Oso. The community was the site of a massive landslide which took place on March 22, 2014. The slide wiped out 49 homes and resulted in 43 fatalities. The segment of the highway passing by the slide was renamed the "Oso Slide Memorial Highway" during February 2019. This photo from the then fairly slide was taken during May 2015.
Washington State Route 530 passes through the small siding community of Cicero and over the North Fork Stillaguamish River via the so-called "Cicero Bridge." The Cicero Bridge is a 377-foot-long steel through arch constructed in 1966. The western approach of the Cicero Bridge can be used to access the Whitehorse Trail. Said trail was commissioned in 1990 when the Darrington branch of the Northern Pacific Railway was abandoned. The rail bridge used by the trail was constructed in 1929.
Washington State Route 530 crosses the South Fork Stillaguamish River upon entering Arlington. The highway follows Burke Street and briefly multiplexes Washington State Route 9 to Division Street. Upon departing Arlington, the routing of Washington State Route 530 follows Division Street and Pioneer Highway to a western terminus at Interstate 5. The Mile Markers still represent the former terminus in Conway.
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