During the closure, travelers will need to use other facilities

RIDGEFIELD – Travelers on Interstate 5 who need to take a break from the road should plan ahead next week.

Beginning Monday (Sept. 26), Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will close the Gee Creek rest areas located on both directions of I-5 near Battle Ground and the State Route 502 interchange (Exit 11) to perform annual maintenance work and implement safety and public health improvements. During the closure, travelers will need to use other facilities.

Details

• Crews will close the northbound and southbound Gee Creek rest areas beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 26, until 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30.
• During the closure crews will do a deep cleaning of the restrooms, make septic/sewer repairs, repair picnic areas, remove graffiti and perform vegetation management.
• Rest areas serve an important safety purpose and are intended for short-term visits. During the closure crews will also install new signs clarifying existing state law parking limits and close the southbound rest area RV parking area. General traveler parking is limited to 8 hours in a 24-period and commercial vehicle parking is limited to 11 hours.

When the rest areas reopen, RV parking at the southbound rest area will remain closed. The RV dump stations in both directions of I-5 will reopen. WSDOT and WSP will continue to monitor and enforce rest area parking rules to ensure rest area parking spots are available for their intended use – a place for the traveling public to stop, rest and use facilities.

Real-time roadway and weather information is available 24/7 via the WSDOT mobile app or by following the Southwest Region Twitter account.