RCW 46.61.100 - Keep right except when passing

Keep off I-5 south through Seattle… there are a bunch of fire and emergency response vehicles blocking the left hand lanes.

FINAL 7:18 p.m.: All lanes of southbound I-5 have reopened. A HUGE thank you to the first responders and crews who worked in a very hot, very challenging situation to get everything open. We appreciate everyone's patience. Please have a safe night.

UPDATE 6:51 p.m.: The three left lanes of southbound I-5 are now open. Two right lanes are still blocked.

UPDATE 6:08 p.m.: Our crews will be doing some pavement repair and sign removal. We expect southbound I-5 to reopen this evening but don't have an estimate for what time yet. We'll let you know more when we know more.

UPDATE 5:53 p.m.: The westbound SR 520 ramp to southbound I-5 and the Boylston ramp have reopened.

UPDATE 5:38 p.m.: One lane of southbound I-5 has reopened, and the express lanes are also running southbound. The backup stretches from Mercer to Green Lake, though, so it's going to be very slow going. We'll keep updating as we get more info.

UPDATE 4:18 p.m.: Southbound I-5 remains closed and likely will be for some time. The I-5 express lanes are now southbound (they are usually northbound this time of day). The fire is out and our bridge crews are awaiting clearance to go in and begin inspections of the structure. There are significant backups in each direction of I-5, SR 99 and I-405 as well as the westbound SR 520 ramp at I-5. We will update again as we get more info.

UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: Expect LONG delays on southbound I-5 just north of Mercer Street. Express lanes are closed. The Mercer ramp and southbound Boylston ramp are also closed.

ORIGINAL POST: I-5 Southbound is fully closed at Mercer Street in downtown Seattle. A truck carrying tanks with explosive liquids caught fire. Seattle Fire and the Incident Response Team are on site. This will likely be an extended closure, seek alternate routes.

Just a friendly reminder - if you’re constantly getting passed on the right, you’re in the wrong lane.

Good rule of thumb for highways.

“For example, most people won’t speed or camp out in the left lane in front of a marked vehicle…but they may do it in front of an unmarked vehicle.”

If only the Washington State Patrol had a dedicated task force to enforce this one violation... the roads would be a much better place!

WSP’s Unmarked Vehicles Explained Unmarked patrol vehicles are used for a variety of reasons, like catching speeding or aggressive drivers. We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately as to whether or not they are legal under Wash…

Take a deep breath... then shout.