Work is picking up to clear a landslide along I-5 North near Bellingham – but the big question remains – when will the road reopen?
The landslide hit the night of March 19, just north of North Lake Samish Drive.
Since then, crews have made progress, clearing trees from the road, but they still have a long way to go.
“I do not have a timeline for when I-5 will be reopened,” said Melissa Ambler, a WSDOT assistant regional administrator.
Wednesday, crews started scaling work – cutting trees at the top of the slope – also using hand tools and air compressors to clear away loose rock and debris.
“We’re not just removing the debris that fell down off the slope from the interstate. We have an unstable slope that we need to stabilize,” said Ambler.
That will take time, and then crews can begin hauling away the mess.
“So that’s probably upwards of five to six thousand tons worth of material. Our trucks will haul about 30 tons per load. You might be looking at 300 truckloads of material going out of here,” said Brad Wyman, Operations VP with Interwest Construction.
WSDOT is also urging drivers to pay attention to detours.
They say on Tuesday, a driver sped through the closure and work site, creating a dangerous situation.
Meanwhile, WSDOT says the goal now is to do more than simply clear the road.
“We have our geotechnical engineers that are looking for additional cracking so we can remove those unstable rock formations now, so that they don’t come down in the future,” said Ambler.
Another progress report from WSDOT is expected on Friday.
Updates on the Interstate and other travel can be found on WSDOT’s social media as well as it’s website.