Mudslide closes highway near Canada-US border

A massive mudslide closed the highway south of the Canada-U.S. border in Bellingham, Washington, for nearly 10 hours on Sunday.

The Washington State Department of Transportation announced the closure of I-5 near the Iowa Street exit at 5:45 a.m., saying emergency crews had been called to the scene and that all northbound lanes were blocked as well as southbound traffic. direction was hit.

The highway reopened just before 3 p.m

Earlier in the day, officials said walls and barriers were damaged and a geotechnical assessment was needed.

WSDOT shared photos of the damage on social media, showing a semi-truck stuck in the mud.

“It will take a while for everything to be cleared up and the necessary repairs to be made. We have a lot of heavy machinery and personnel on site working to clear the debris,” said an update from the agency around 10:30 am.

“Crews estimate approximately 2,000 cubic yards of debris spilled across the lanes of I-5.”

A detour was necessary, but WSDOT reported traffic was backed up for about three miles. Drivers were advised to use alternate routes or expect significant delays.