Traffic on northbound I-5 in Tumwater blocked, then slowed after 2 collisions Wednesday

Traffic came to a halt and then was slowed for several hours on northbound Interstate 5 in Tumwater on Wednesday following two collisions, according to the state Department of Transportation and Washington State Patrol.

The incident began about 9:40 a.m. at milepost 104 near the U.S. 101 off ramp from northbound I-5, according to the WSDOT Travel Map .

Troopers closed all northbound lanes while emergency crews responded to two separate collisions, Trooper John Dattilo said. He confirmed at least one of the collisions resulted in serious injuries. The cause of the collisions is under investigation, he added.



The first collision involved two cars that blocked the left lane, Dattilo shared on X. Another six-car collision occurred as traffic built up behind the first blockage, he added.

A “life flight” helicopter later landed on the highway, according to a 10:42 a.m. update from WSDOT on X. In a follow-up post, WSDOT said the helicopter left but the roadway remained blocked to allow emergency crews to continue their response.

“Traffic is going to be backed up for a while,” Dattilo said. “We apologize, but we’re doing our best to get things cleared up in a timely manner.”



Northbound traffic was backed up past the 93rd Avenue Southwest exit by 11 a.m. Wednesday, per the WSDOT Travel Map. One lane was reopened at about 11:15 a.m. and all lanes reopened about 2 p.m.

Dattilo said traffic was being diverted to Deschutes Parkway. He asked the public to avoid the area.

“Our troopers are going to be working as efficiently as possible to try and get the road open, but obviously our priority is making sure that our troopers are safe and making sure that we can investigate thoroughly,” Dattilo said.