An Interstate 5 closure caused several hours of delay and a miles-long backup Friday afternoon near the Whatcom and Skagit county line.

All lanes of northbound and southbound I-5, as well as the overpass, near North Lake Samish at milepost 246 were closed due to an incident with a suicidal man on the overpass, according to Washington State Patrol.

Southbound lanes near Old Fairhaven Parkway at milepost 250 were also closed.

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The roadways were closed for roughly two hours before the man was taken into custody minutes before 4 p.m. Friday. He was later taken to a local hospital.

The backup stretched for around five miles past the Bow Hill Rest Area and caused alternate routes to become jammed too.

The WSDOT traffic camera at Lake Samish Park and Ride shows traffic backed up on I-5 in Bellingham Friday afternoon. Washington State Department of Transportation Courtesty to The Bellingham Herald

Resources

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

Phone: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Online: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

This story will be updated.