Collision on northbound I-5 near Olympia has traffic stalled

Traffic was at a standstill Tuesday afternoon on northbound Interstate 5 near Olympia after a collision blocked the left lane, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The crash occurred just after 12:30 p.m. near Martin Way E.

Both directions of the freeway were still experiencing heavy traffic just after 2 p.m. Travel times southbound from Tacoma to Olympia were projected at 55 minutes, while northbound Olympia to Tacoma was 50 minutes.

WSDOT tweeted just before 2:30 p.m. that the left lane of northbound I-5 would remain closed for an “extended period” as crews repair the cable barrier. The collision was cleared just after 4 p.m.

Slowdowns in both directions are expected to impact evening commutes.

This story was originally published July 24, 2018 at 2:11 PM.