Super load stuck on I-5 south in Marysville should move tonight

A truck carrying a massive pre-fab building has been parked along the southbound I-5 ramp at 88th St. in Marysville for three days.

It caused quite a stir and a backup Wednesday morning as it lumbered down I-5 to this spot before 7 a.m., and it’s been a distraction ever since.

I have been working with the Washington State Patrol to find out why it’s still there and if the drivers would face any penalties as a result.

But as my mother always used to say, “If you want to find something out, get it straight from the horse’s mouth.” So I did.

I went up here and talked with the drivers.

This load is so big that it is considered a super load, and it can only move during a very specific and short window — between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on weeknights, and between 1 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on weekends.

It is 15 feet 11 inches tall, 26 feet wide, and 138 feet long. It is massive.

So how did the super load get here?

The drivers told me they were supposed to park for the day (on Wednesday) at Donna’s Truck Plaza, which is one exit north at 116th, but it was full. There was already an oversize load there too.

This spot on the side of southbound I-5 at 88th Street was the only “safe haven” it could reach. The shoulder is just wide enough to fit this thing.

So why hasn’t it moved?

This is where the travel restrictions come in. The load is so big that it can’t travel down southbound I-405 to I-90 because of the construction. It is just too tight in spots.

To make it to I-90, they need to drive it all the way to Southcenter and take northbound I-405 to I-90, and they can’t make that trip in the four-hour window on weeknights. They can make it in the 5½ hours window on weekends, and that’s the plan. Get it out of here early Saturday morning.

The drivers have just been hanging out waiting for a big enough window to move. They told me the state doesn’t plan on any enforcement action because they followed the rules of their permits.

The final destination for this building is somewhere in California. The drivers told me they haul similar-sized superloads on this route often. It just didn’t work out this time.

I forgot to ask about their max speed, but they told me it takes four pilot cars and several police vehicles to watch them as they go.

If you see this thing on the road, give it plenty of room.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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