Nighttime closures of northbound I-5 planned Sept. 28-29 to remove damaged SR 506 overpass near Toledo

Travelers will keep moving using a detour through the off- and on-ramps

TOLEDO – Over the last 14 months, the closure of State Route 506 over Interstate 5 near Toledo has forced people to take the long way home. Following a bridge strike to the northbound span of the overpass by an over height load on Thursday, Sept. 22, the damaged overpass will remain closed to travelers until further notice.

Tonight, Wednesday, Sept. 28, SB Structures LLC., working for the Washington State Department of Transportation, will begin removing the damaged span of SR 506 over the northbound lanes of I-5.

Detour and lane closure information

  • Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 29
    Ahead of the overpass, all lanes of northbound I-5 will be reduced to a single lane and detoured through the off-and on-ramps at Exit 60 for SR 506/Toledo-Vader Road.
  • Thursday, Sept. 29 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., Friday, Sept. 30
    Ahead of the overpass, all lanes of northbound I-5 will be reduced to a single lane and detoured through the off-and on-ramps at Exit 60 for SR 506/Toledo-Vader Road.
    Note: A single lane of southbound I-5 will be closed overnight from 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29 to 8 a.m., Friday, Sept. 30.

“Keeping drivers and users of the road safe is our number one priority,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Paul Mason. “To ensure everyone’s safety during bridge demolition, all lanes of northbound I-5 will close overnight at the overpass.”

What to expect in the months ahead

Throughout the remainder of September and into October, travelers will see nighttime, intermittent single lane closures along both directions of I-5, Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. with a large portion of the work occurring during the day along the SR 506/Toledo-Vader Road overpass.

Work to install bridge girders over the southbound lanes of I-5 will be rescheduled to a later date.

In July 2021, an over height load was traveling southbound on I-5 when it stuck the underside of the SR 506 overpass. Following the bridge strike, WSDOT bridge crews assessed the damage and closed the bridge to travelers until the southbound span could be replaced. That work began earlier this month.

On Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, an over height load was traveling northbound on I-5 when it struck the underside of SR 506 overpass. WSDOT bridge inspectors assessed the damage and determined the damaged girder over the northbound lanes of I-5 needs to be removed. For the safety of the traveling public, the overpass will remain closed to travelers until a repair can be completed.

Drivers are encouraged to slow down and stay focused when traveling through work zones.

Know before you go

Before heading out the door, travelers can get real-time traveler information with the WSDOT mobile app or by visiting our real-time travel map webpage.

Slow down – lives are on the line. 

In 2023, speeding continued to be a top reason for work zone crashes.

Even one life lost is too many.

Fatal work zone crashes doubled in 2023 - Washington had 10 fatal work zone crashes on state roads.

It's in EVERYONE’S best interest.

95% of people hurt in work zones are drivers, their passengers or passing pedestrians, not just our road crews.