Landslides force closure of northbound Interstate 5 south of Bellingham
Northbound Interstate 5 south of Bellingham was closed around 9:30 p.m. Thursday following overnight rock slides near the Lake Samish freeway access.
One slide was reported near milepost 248, and a second was near milepost 249, the Washington State Department of Transportation said in social media posts and emails.
Around 2,000 to 3,000 cubic yards of rock, dirt, trees and other material is blocking the road, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. An average WSDOT dump truck only carries about 16 cubic yards at a time, WSDOT said. No estimate has been provided for when the interstate will reopen.
Drivers are being diverted off the freeway at North Lake Samish Road, exit 246. Southbound lanes remain open, WSDOT said.
“We don’t make the decision to close roads lightly. We recognize the inconvenience and frustration that causes to the public,” WSDOT communications spokesperson Ryan McCrary told The Bellingham Herald on Friday. “WSDOT crews work really hard to reopen as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Three collisions occurred as a result of landslides on I-5, but no injuries were reported, Washington State Patrol Trooper Kelsey Harding told The Herald.
An earlier rock slide had closed both lanes of Chuckanut Drive near milepost 12 south of the Whatcom-Skagit county line, but the highway is now open WSDOT said.
Several days of rain from an atmospheric river system have weakened soil in Western Washington, and the National Weather Service in Seattle issued a statement warning on increased landslide risk.
Bellingham has received more than 3 inches of rain since Sunday, according to data from Bellingham International Airport. That four-day total is greater than the average rainfall for all of March, according to records going back to 1949.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 8:05 AM.
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