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I-5 remains closed after landslide near Bellingham
There's still a lot of work to do to clear the slide on northbound I-5 near Bellingham, taking crews nearly two weeks now to clean up the mess.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - There's still a lot of work to do to clear the landslide on northbound I-5 near Bellingham.
The slide happened March 19.
For now, drivers are forced to take a detour. They're routed off Exit 246 to get around the slide.
What they're saying:
"I have people coming in, they mention how they made the mistake of hopping on Samish and trying to get to work and it really slows them down," Henry Colvin said.
Colvin works at the Urban Market in Bellingham and hears all about the slow-go on the Samish Way detour created by the I-5 slide.
WSDOT crews are working to clear the mess near mileposts 248 and 249. Officials shared drone video with FOX 13 Seattle showing the situation on March 21.
"What we're trying to do is stabilize the slope, and then we're going to start using some steel valves to further secure the slopes, so that we can continue the clearing process there," said WSDOT's David Rasbach.
By the numbers:
There's a lot to move.
WSDOT describes a debris field more than 250 feet wide. Some boulders are said to be as big as buses.
There's an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 tons of material to be removed, according to Rasbach.
At this point, local businesses as well as neighbors along the detour may need their own traffic report with some sharing delays as long as 30 minutes.
WSDOT said, "People driving in the area should expect delays and consider using SR 11/Chuckanut Drive and SR 9 as alternatives."
The department shared a special alert for freight traffic that said, "SR 11 and local roads in the area are not suitable for freight traffic. SR 9 is the preferred route for freight. Semi-trucks should use eastbound SR 20 to northbound SR 9 and westbound SR 542 back to northbound I-5."
What's next:
It's a waiting game as there's no timeline for when I-5 will reopen.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it being finished, especially, so I can get on Exit 250 and avoid all the traffic from Chuckanut," Colvin said.
WSDOT said crews can only work during the daylight hours because of safety concerns, but they said crews are working seven days a week until they can get the road reopened.
The department has a project overview page providing updates and information about detour routes here.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Dan Griffin.