The highway has been closed for nearly a month while crews stabilize a slope after a landslide, bringing down thousands of cubic feet of debris.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Northbound Interstate 5 near Bellingham is slated to reopen Thursday, April 16 after being closed for weeks following a landslide.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced the reopening date Friday, saying all lanes between North Lake Samish Road and state Route 11 are expected to reopen by 5 a.m.
The roadway closed March 19 after a landslide pushed between 2,000 and 3,000 cubic yards of debris onto the roadway.
Since the closure, crews have been working to clear the debris and stabilize the slope. Crews worked from the top of the slope downward, scaling loose rocks and drilling into the hillside to install steel dowels. WSDOT said the work was deliberate and highly controlled so it would be done safely.
“This has been complex, high-risk work that required a methodical top-down approach,” Secretary of Transportation Julie Meredith said in a statement.
Over the next week, crews will complete stabilization work by removing a large, loose rock on the north end of the slide. Once the work is completed, geotechnical engineers will perform a final inspection to determine if the roadway is safe to reopen.
WSDOT cautioned that the highway reopening could be further delayed if the final inspection found any areas that still need work.
To ensure diverse coverage and expert insight across a wide range of topics, our publication features contributions from multiple staff writers with varied areas of expertise.
