I-5 Reopens After Deadly Amtrak Derailment

DUPONT, WA - WSDOT reopened all southbound lanes of I-5 Wednesday night. All southbound lanes had been closed since an Amtrak train derailed near DuPont on Monday morning. Two southbound lanes opened after 5 p.m., followed by all lanes opened at 10 p.m. Wednesday after round-the-clock efforts by WSDOT crews to repair and inspect infrastructure around the scene of the crash.

Drivers will see a reduced speed limit of 45 MPH, according to WSDOT. The Mounts Road on-ramp has also reopened. Crews were able to complete work ahead of schedule, according to WSDOT.

The derailment caused multiple problems. Not only were 11 train cars and a locomotive in the way, but WSDOT had to ensure the roadbed and train bridge were safe to use. Tuesday night, structural engineers determined the bridge was safe, and WSDOT crews made asphalt repairs Wednesday.

WSDOT also had to replace about 100 feet of guardrail and clear "hazard trees" hanging over the tracks.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, WSDOT brought special construction equipment to the crash scene to remove the train cars. The 270,000-pound locomotive was the last to go Wednesday morning.

Caption: Vehicles fill the highway at the scene of an Amtrak train crash onto Interstate 5 from the railroad bridge above two days earlier Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, in DuPont, Wash. The Amtrak train that careened off the overpass south of Seattle, killing at least three people, was hurtling 50 mph over the speed limit when it jumped the track, federal investigators say, when it derailed along a curve, spilling railcars onto the highway below.

Photo by Elaine Thompson/Associated Press