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News / Clark County News

Police reopen I-5 southbound after 2-hour closure

By Emily Gillespie, Columbian Breaking News Reporter
Published: May 31, 2017, 10:11am

Clark County freeways were clogged for two hours Wednesday morning after a suicidal teenager had climbed onto the structure of the Interstate 5 Bridge and threatened to jump.

The incident began shortly before 9:30 a.m. when a teenage boy climbed onto the bridge that carries southbound traffic over the Columbia River.

The closure lasted until 11:30 a.m., when a police crisis negotiator convinced the teen to come down, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.

Kapp did not have further information on what happened, except to say that typically people in these situations are taken to area hospitals for a medical evaluation.

The prolonged freeway closure caused hours of backup on Clark County freeways, with southbound traffic reportedly at a stop-and-go traffic pace to 63rd Street, according to Washington State Department of Transportation.

Traffic was also clogged on state Highway 14 near downtown and on portions of Interstate 205.

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Columbian Breaking News Reporter