Work continues to clear debris slide from northbound I-5 south of Bellingham

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Washington State Department of Transportation crews worked throughout the day today, November 16th, to clear a debris slide over both lanes of northbound I-5 that resulted in both northbound and southbound lanes being closed overnight.

Southbound lanes were reopened this morning but the northbound lanes remained closed.

WSDOT officials said about 5pm today that crews continue working to clear debris from the northbound lanes, removing downed trees and assessing the hillside.

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During the work, many motorist were using E Lake Samish Drive as an unofficial detour route since Valley Highway (SR9) and Chuckanut Drive (SR11) were experiencing closures of their own. According to WSDOT officials, there were “a number of collisions” on E Lake Samish Drive which often resulted in 2-mile traffic backups extending to the Alger exit.

As to when the northbound lanes may be reopened, WSDOT officials said this.

This means we are one-step closer to opening the highway. We don’t have an exact time, but things are looking better.