Northbound lanes of Interstate 5 south of Bellingham remain closed Saturday, March 21, after a Thursday evening rock slide. Emergency work crews will begin clearing boulders, trees and other debris on Sunday, March 22.
There is no estimated time for reopening the interstate, which is closed for 4 miles between North Lake Samish Road and State Route 11/Old Fairhaven Parkway, according to a Washington State Department of Transportation news release.
Crews from Interwest Construction Inc. will work seven days a week during daylight hours to remove the debris, according to the news release. The agency selected the Burlington construction company to do emergency work on Saturday. The company also cleared debris on Chuckanut Drive, State Route 11, last spring when the road was closed for weeks after a landslide.
The agency expects a repair plan and timeline by Wednesday, March 25.
The 100-foot-wide slide happened Thursday evening and dumped between 2,000 and 3,000 cubic yards of debris down a 60- to 80-foot slope onto the interstate, according to the news release. Some boulders were as big as buses.
Department geotechnical engineers were on site Friday, March 20 to assess slope stability. There were concerns of more potential movement from the debris pile and up on the slope. Engineers spent Saturday creating plans to shore up and stabilize the slide area so work could begin.
Recent rains likely contributed to the slide. The area in the Chuckanut Mountains is known to have frequent landslides due to the bedrock composition.
The transportation agency reminds travelers to expect longer delays on the interstate and to find alternate routes, including State Route 9 and State Route 11. Freight traffic is reminded that local roads and State Route 11 are not suitable for semi-trucks.
Flaggers will be at the intersection of the northbound I-5 off-ramp and North Lake Samish Road to help traffic flow during the day.
People are warned not to fly drones near the slide area or approach the area since it’s still an active slide zone and will soon become a work zone, according to the news release.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at [email protected]; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
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