I-5 delays expected as crews fix damaged power lines near Thurston-Pierce line
Drivers on Interstate 5 can expect delays starting Thursday night near the border of Pierce and Thurston counties.
Utility crews plan to repair power lines over Interstate 5 at Mounts Road, or milepost 116, from 10 p.m. Thursday to 4 a.m. Friday, according to a Washington State Department of Transportation news release.
A windstorm downed transmission lines that cross the highway early Wednesday morning, Trooper Kameron Watts shared on X. The storm knocked out power for thousands across Western Washington. Puget Sound Energy said crews made significant progress restoring power overnight, but there were still dozens of scattered outages within Thurston County and across Pierce County on the agency’s outage map as of Thursday morning.
About 6,000 Thurston County customers lacked power Thursday morning, according to Find Energy, a private website that collects electric utility data. That’s down from 29,000 Thurston County customers Wednesday morning.
The transmission line over I-5 at Mounts Road is one of several damaged lines being worked on by utility crews in the area. Starting at 10 p.m. Thursday, WSDOT says drivers can expect intermittent rolling slowdowns as they approach Mounts Road.
Trucks will stop traffic for 15 minutes in each direction, according to the release.
“Do not pass the trucks that have stopped traffic,” the release states. “Those trucks are there for traveler safety and the safety of crews working on the road.”
PSE advises the public to avoid all wires on the ground because they may be energized. The public can call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.
A new wind advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday in the Olympia area, according to the National Weather Service. Southwest winds are forecasted to blow at 15-25 miles-per-hour with gusts up to 50 miles-per-hour.
A flood watch remains in effect through 4 p.m. Friday and rain remains in the forecast through the weekend.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 12:10 PM.
