I-5 In Lakewood Will Close To Remove Landmine Unearthed Wednesday

LAKEWOOD, WA - The military will close southbound I-5 in the vicinity of exit 120 at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday so crews can remove an "unexploded munition" from an area alongside the highway.

That stretch of I-5 will be closed for a "minimum" of 45 minutes, JBLM spokesman Joseph Piek said in a press release.

Here's the full release from JBLM:

"The southbound lanes of Interstate 5 will be closed tonight at 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, March 8, at exit 120 (vicinity of the JBLM Main Gate) to facilitate the safe removal of an unexploded munition near the railroad tracks that run along I-5.

"The southbound lanes will be closed for a minimum of 45 minutes. There is no detour route available; people are advised to avoid the area.

"The northbound lanes of I-5 will remain open. Earlier today, railroad track workers unearthed an old unexploded munition while working on the railroad tracks between exits 120 to 119. The item appears to be a very old landmine that has been buried for a long time. The Joint Base Lewis-McChord Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit determined the munition to be real, and that it should be removed for detonation.

"Currently, the site is secured and the munition is surrounded by sandbags. In the interest of public safety, and in conjunction with Washington State Patrol and Washington State Department of Transportation, all southbound I-5 traffic will be stopped at exit 120 at 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, March 8, so the least amount of traffic is affected, and so the EOD unit can safely remove the munition and transport it on base for disposal."

Image via Patch.com