Local

Drivers help ducklings cross I-405 in Newcastle; gaggle of geese halts traffic in south Seattle

NEWCASTLE, Wash. — Traffic on part of Interstate 405 came to a complete halt Monday morning as a family of fowl tried to make a waddle for it across the freeway.

The babies were on the northbound lanes of the highway just south of 112th Avenue Southeast in Newcastle, according to a 9:28 a.m. tweet from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Video tweeted by WSDOT showed three people trying to herd the ducklings while Washington State Patrol troopers were on the way. Two used their coats in a bullfighter-type fashion.

The incident caused a backup, but about 10 minutes later, WSDOT tweeted that the duck family had been moved off the road onto the right shoulder, the work area was open, and traffic was moving normally again.

Over in south Seattle, a gaggle of geese also caused some traffic problems.

Cars were forced to stop as geese walked along State Route 99 at West Marginal Way around 1:45 p.m.

One person even got out of their car to help the geese move along.

A patrol unit soon showed up, giving the geese a proper escort. It did take 10 minutes to push the birds along and get them out of harm’s way.

“Please remember that wildlife can appear on any of our roadways, at any time of the day and year. If you spot an animal creating a hazard, slow down and call 911,” WSDOT said in a tweet.