Interstate 5

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At 276.62 miles in length, Washington's portion of Interstate 5 is the shortest. Interstate 5 in the Evergreen State stretches from Vancouver, part of the Portland metropolitan area, in the south to the U.S.-Canadian border at Blaine in the north. In between, Interstate 5 travels through the roughly 80 mile long urban corridor from Olympia to Everett which is home to nearly two-thirds of the state's population. It is fair to say that the majority of Washington residents live close to this important freeway. Interstate 5 replaced the routing of U.S. 99 in most of the state. Unlike California and Oregon, which each kept large portions of the original U.S. 99 as state routes, only a very small section of the old US highway was designated as a state route in Washington.

Interstate 5 Washington Guides

North

Vancouver to Woodland - 60 photos

Interstate 5 north at Washington State Route 432 in Kelso

Kalama to Castle Rock - 48 photos

Interstate 5 north crossing the Toutle River in Lewis County, Washington

Vader to Centralia - 63 photos

Interstate 5 at the Capitol Boulevard arch bridge in Olympia, Washington

Grand Mound to Olympia - 64 photos

Interstate 5 north at I-705/SR 7 in Tacoma, Washington

DuPont to Tacoma - 70 photos

Interstate 5 north in Seattle, Washington

Federal Way to Seattle - 73 photos

Interstate 5 north at Downtown Seattle, Washington

Seattle to Shoreline - 60 photos

Interstate 5 north crossing the Snohomish River north in Everett, Washington

Lynwood to Everett - 66 photos

Interstate 5 northbound in southern Skagit County, Washington

Arlington to Mount Vernon - 68 photos

Interstate 5 north crossing the Nooksack River at Ferndale, Washington

Bellingham to Blaine - 67 photos

South

Blaine to Bellingham - 55 photos

Interstate 5 south crossing the Skagit River into Mount Vernon, Washington

Mount Vernon to Arlington - 60 photos

Interstate 5 south at Washington State Route 526 / Boeing Freeway in Everett

Everett to Lynnwood - 62 photos

Interstate 5 south heading into Seattle, Washington

Shoreline to Seattle - 68 photos

Interstate 5 south at I-405 and SR 518 in Tukwila, Washington

Seattle to Federal Way - 57 photos

Interstate 5 south ahead of Washington State Route 16 in Tacoma

Tacoma to DuPont - 66 photos

Interstate 5 south below Capitol Boulevard in Olympia, Washington

Olympia to Grand Mound - 58 photos

I-5/U.S. 12 south at Napavine, Washington

Centralia to Vader - 55 photos

Interstate 5 south crossing the Toutle River ahead of Castle Rock, Washington

Castle Rock to Kalama - 45 photos

Interstate 5 south crossing the Lewis River at Woodland, Washington

Woodland to Vancouver - 36 photos

Business Routes

Business Loop I-5 - Castle Rock

follows Historic U.S. 99

Interstate 5 curves east from Exit 105 and the State Capitol area and passes under Eastside Street SE in this scene from the 14th Avenue SE overpass. - 09/02/2006

Interstate 5 at Exit 46 (Headquarters Road) near Castle Rock. - 09/02/2006

scenes

Looking upwards from Interstate 5 southbound at the eastbound conclusion of SR 432 (Exit 36). SR 432 constitutes an expressway spur west to Longview from Interstate 5. Old Pacific Highway (former U.S. 99) stems southeast from the three-quarter cloverleaf interchange to Carrolls.

09/02/06

Headquarters Road eastbound at the diamond interchange (Exit 46) with I-5. Headquarters Road meanders northeast from Pleasant Hill Road and Interstate 5 to Silver Lake Road, south of SR 504.

09/02/06

Trosper Road westbound at the parclo interchange (Exit 102) with I-5. U.S. 99 utilized Trosper Road between Capitol Boulevard and Interstate 5 south from Exit 102 for a period of time during the 1950s. The freeway north from Trosper Road opened jointly as I-5 and U.S. 99 in 1958.¹

09/02/06

Bow Hill Road eastbound within the diamond interchange at Exit 236.

08/30/06

Bow Hill Road leads west from Old U.S. 99 and Jarman Prairie to meet Interstate 5 at the Upper Skagit Indian Reservation. I-5 heads north to Bellingham and south to Mount Vernon.

08/30/06

Bow Hill Road west at the entrance ramp for Interstate 5 south to Everett and Seattle. Bow Hill Road continues beyond I-5 to Bow and SR 11 (Chuckanut Drive).

08/30/06

Direct ramps link Lakeview Drive with Interstate 5 south. Connections to I-5 north require a turn onto King Street to ramps at Potter Street.

08/30/06

Potter and King Streets intersect opposite the northbound on and off-ramps to Interstate 5 at Exit 253.

08/30/06

Interstate 5 northbound freeway entrance from the Potter Street enrance ramp in Bellingham. The freeway ends in 23 miles at Blaine.

08/30/06

Lakeway Drive, in Bellingham, passes under Interstate 5 (Exit 253) and approaches the southbound on-ramp to Mt. Vernon and Seattle.

08/30/06

Samish Way stems north from Lake Samish Drive between the RIRO ramps with Interstate 5 at Exit 246.

07/19/23

Samish Drive (Old U.S. 99) heads northwest from the exchange with I-5 to Lake Padden and Lake Padden Park. The two routes come together again in Mount Vernon at Exit 252.

07/19/23

3 photos

Slater Road (former SR 540) east at the dumbbell interchange (Exit 260) with Interstate 5 on the south side of Ferndale.

07/19/23

Peace Arch State Park

Northbound travelers remaining along Interstate 5 beyond Exit 276 enter Peace Arch State Park. The speed limit remains 35 miles per hour, and this small park is located between the two customs stations (one for the United States, the other for Canada). Pedestrians are permitted to walk across the highway to view the Peace Arch (which is visible in the background), and a crosswalk cuts across the northbound lanes between the state park parking area and the arch.

08/30/06

Tongue Point at the end of Semiahmoo Spit appears in view from Peace Arch State Park. Waters of the Strait of Georgia and mountains of Vancouver Island rise beyond the waters of Semiahmoo Bay. A short official use only access road connects the north and southbound roadways of the road between Interstate 5 and B.C. 99.

08/30/06

2 photos

Stone monuments along each side of the connecting highway between Interstate 5 and British Columbia 99 indicate the border between the United States and Canada. "Treaty of 1925" and "International Boundary" are inscribed into the two granite monuments as well as the names of the two countries. The Peace Arch falls along the International border within the grassy median.

08/30/06

Situated midway between the roadways of Interstate 5 / B.C. 99, the Peace Arch rises dramatically between two trees on the International border. The arch acts as a large doorway, connecting the United States and Canada. The phrase "Children of a Common Mother" refers to the history of both countries once belonging to the British Empire.

08/30/06

Motorists continuing beyond the border monuments enter the Canadian customs station. Beyond the facility is the beginning the B.C. 99 freeway and city of White Rock. Prior to the mid-1960s, the numerical designation between the U.S. and Canadian routes was the same: U.S. 99 and B.C. 99. Despite the renumbering of U.S. 99 as I-5, British Columbia retained 99.

08/30/06

The U.S. Customs Station is located along the road connecting B.C. 99 with Interstate 5 southbound after the international border adjacent to Peace Arch State Park.

08/30/06

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