Military vehicle accident on I-5 north in Federal Way cleared after snarling traffic
Apr 10, 2024, 12:37 PM | Updated: 5:32 pm
All general-purpose lanes were blocked leaving just the left HOV lane open on I-5 south of 272nd St. in Federal Way for a collision on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation/@wsdot_traffic on X)
(Image courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation/@wsdot_traffic on X)
A rollover vehicle accident late Wednesday morning caused significant backups and delays on Interstate 5 (I-5) north in Federal Way for multiple hours before being cleared close to 5 p.m.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, the collision that blocked lanes on I-5 north near 272nd Street in Federal Way had cleared all lanes had reopened.
Just before 2:25 p.m., WSDOT stated on X, the three right lanes of the major area Federal Way. The agency added that tow trucks were at the scene and the vehicles involved in the incident have been turned upright, but crews were still working to clean up the scene.
Backups that were six miles earlier had reached 7 1/2 miles, WSDOT added in one afternoon update.
UPDATE #5: Collision NB I-5 south of 272nd St in #FederalWay blocking 3 lanes
The tows are at scene and the vehicles have been turned upright, but crews are still at the scene working.
Traffic backups are about 7.5 miles.
This will take a while to clear. Use ALTERNATE routes. https://t.co/uvhN1aMAT8 pic.twitter.com/GVfIk6yI9k— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) April 10, 2024
Earlier Wednesday, Trooper Rick Johnson of the Washington State Patrol (WSP) stated on X a military vehicle was on it’s side. He added that were no serious injuries in the accident, but confirmed multiple lanes on I-5 north were blocked.
Later, Johnson posted two photos from the scene of the incident, confirming the vehicle rollover.
Here are some photos from the scene. Tows are on the way but this will take some time to clean up. Use alternate routes. HOV and left lane are the only lanes open at this time. pic.twitter.com/ImBOcVxI5n
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) April 10, 2024
WSDOT first posted on X about the vehicle incident at 11:35 a.m. Wednesday. Five minutes later, at 11:40 a.m., the state agency published another X post with the first video from the scene on I-5 north. WSDOT has provided multiple updates since then.
Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.
