A landslide on March 19 forced the closure of northbound Interstate 5 near Bellingham, Wash.
Nearly three weeks later, I-5 at mile marker 248.4 remains closed.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said crews are working seven days a week to clear I-5 of thousands of cubic yards of rock, trees and other debris.
All border crossings remain open, WSDOT added.
A detour is available for truck drivers from eastbound state Highway 20 to northbound state Highway 9 to westbound state Highway 542 and back to northbound I-5.
Photo courtesy WSDOT
WSDOT said it recognizes that the freight detour is longer in distance, but believes it will keep commercial trucks moving much more smoothly around the slide area.
UPDATE 4/5: Though plans could change as we continue to assess, drilling on the top band of the slope is almost finished. Crews are anchoring steel dowels to stabilize the slope.
NB I-5 remains closed after 3/19 slide. Continue to use alternate routes & obey speed limits. https://t.co/VaUn5TfcaV pic.twitter.com/tF33J6IOcB
— WSDOT North (@wsdot_north) April 5, 2026
Nationwide traffic updates are available on this Land Line resources page.
State Highway 11 and other local roads in the area are not suitable for freight traffic, Washington state transportation officials said.
“Many truck drivers are trying to use the local roads and are finding themselves in trouble, since these streets are not designed for commercial traffic,” WSDOT said. “Some truck drivers are also exceeding the speed limits on local roads and causing unsafe conditions.”
Washington state officials said they understand drivers’ frustrations and that their focus is on reopening I-5 as quickly as possible.
Drivers in this area should plan for increased travel time and use designated detours, if applicable.
As of Tuesday, April 7, there was still no timeline for reopening this stretch of I-5. LL
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