BELLINGHAM, Wash. — All lanes of northbound and southbound I-5 were shutdown about 7pm today, July 19th, due to downed power lines.
Washington State Patrol (WSP) said all lanes of northbound and southbound I-5 were closed in the area of the N Lake Samish Road interchange (milepost 246).
First responders were dispatched to the area at 7pm due to reports of downed power wires in the lanes.
WSP reports a power line pole broke which resulted in the power lines falling onto the lanes in both directions of I-5. They added that there were some non-injury collisions on I-5 after the power lines fell.
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Click for more informationPuget Sound Energy (PSE) reported a power outage in the area that began at 6:55pm impacting over 375 of their customer addresses.
According to radio transmissions at the time, both directions of I-5 are expected to remain closed for hours while repairs are being made.
WSP said northbound traffic was being diverted via Nulle Road and southbound traffic was being diverted via N Lake Samish Road.
Update 9pm: WSP reports both southbound lanes have been reopened and 1 northbound lane has been reopened. All northbound lanes were reported reopened by 9:20pm according to WSDOT.
PSE said the power outage was the result of equipment failure and estimated power could be restored by midnight.
Readers are encouraged to stay up to date on local driving conditions via the Whatcom News Traffic page.