BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Sunday was not a day of rest for crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and it was a long day for drivers as well.
At approximately 5:45 a.m. all lanes of northbound I-5 just north of Iowa Street in Bellingham (milepost 254) were shut down and remained at least partially closed until 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
A landslide closed down the entire highway at that point sending emergency and road crews in motion.
Rainfall complicated things making flooding a concern at the time, according to a post from WSDOT updating the public via Facebook.
“This is going to take a while to clear everything and make necessary repairs,” WSDOT stated on one of its social media updates. “We have a lot of heavy machinery and personnel onsite working to clear debris, and geotechs are assessing the area.”
At that time the estimate of the debris spread over 2000 cubic yards of debris spilled across lanes of I-5. A specialty tow truck was called to remove the semi truck stuck in the debris, WSDOT stated.
At 3 p.m. Sunday, all lanes in both directions of I-5 were opened.
“Our maintenance crews and geotechnical engineers worked with City of Bellingham, Washington-Government, Washington State Patrol, Bellingham Fire Department, Bellingham Police Department and local tows to clear 2,000 cubic yards of debris and get I-5 back open,” WSDOT said. “Thank you everyone for your patience.”
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
