Local News

The I-5 bridge collapsed over the Skagit River in Mount Vernon on May 23, 2013. (Photo by Rick Lund / The Seattle Times, 2013) The Associated Press OLYMPIA — A $17 million lawsuit has been filed by the Washington State Department of Transportation to recovers costs related to the 2013 Skagit River bridge collapse. The lawsuit was filed…

A rockslide covered a portion of the North Cascades Highway near the Skagit-Whatcom county line. (Washington State Department of Transportation) A portion of the North Cascades Highway that is normally accessible for winter sports will be closed for a month after a large rockslide covered the roadway. The slide covered about 300 feet of Highway 20, the…

Digging work for tunnel machine Bertha’s repair access vault was stopped Thursday after archaeologists monitoring the excavation found a deposit containing shell material. The discovery may indicate the presence of cultural materials and requires further evaluation, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Though no artifacts or human remains were found, the department follows…

Update at 7:30 p.m.: There are no longer backups in either direction of Interstate 405, but traffic is still slow, WSDOT said. Update at 5:05 p.m.: All lanes are now open on southbound Interstate 405, but there are significant backups in both directions. Southbound traffic is backed up 7 miles. Northbound traffic is now 9 miles…

Highway 520 bridge work that was planned for Monday night has been postponed until Tuesday because of a change in scheduling, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Both westbound lanes of Highway 520 will close late Tuesday between 92nd Avenue Northeast and Montlake Boulevard. Lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. Wednesday. Crews will pour the final…

UPDATE, 10:10 p.m. | Highway 12 in Yakima County has reopened in both directions, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. ORIGINAL POST | A stretch of Highway 12 in Yakima County is closed because of a large mudslide about five miles east of the Rimrock Tunnel, according to the Washington State Department…

Traffic remains backed up in both directions on I-5. Southbound lanes aren’t expected to open until past midnight, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. (Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times)     Washington State Patrol and Seattle Police officers investigate an officer-involved shooting on the Ship Canal Bridge. (Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times) UPDATE, 11:45 p.m. |…

Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) will begin next week to create a 120-foot-deep pit, to remove and repair the front end of boring machine Bertha. A camera has been installed alongside the Alaskan Way Viaduct, so the public can glimpse progress at the pit. The giant drill is stranded along the downtown waterfront, and not expected to…

This weekend will bring more frustration for Seattle drivers as Washington State Department of Transportation crews close all but one of the northbound collector-distributor lanes that merge traffic from Interstate 90 onto Interstate 5 and downtown freeway ramps. The ramp from South Dearborn Street to northbound I-5 will also close. It will be a partial closure…

After more than 10 collisions this morning, the state Department of Transportation is advising caution on Snoqualmie Pass and has been issuing advisories either requiring or recommending traction tires and chains. Read the latest here. Trooper Chris Webb of the State Patrol said heavy winds and cold temperatures created ice on the road this morning, causing vehicles…