I-5 is a major
Interstate Highway that spans and runs north–south through the
West Coast states of
California,
Oregon, and
Washington. It connects several major metropolitan areas as well as agricultural regions, seaports, and freight destinations. The freeway ranges from four lanes in some rural sections to 22 lanes in
Orange County, California, where it had been widened and reconstructed.
California The southern terminus of I-5 is at the
Mexican border at the
San Ysidro Port of Entry, the busiest land border crossing in the
Western Hemisphere; the crossing handles a daily average of 70,000 vehicles and 20,000 pedestrians crossing northbound and connects with
Mexican Federal Highway 1 in
Tijuana. The freeway splits in
San Diego's
San Ysidro neighborhood, with I-5 traveling northwest through
Chula Vista and
National City on the John J. Montgomery Freeway and
I-805 serving the eastern neighborhoods. I-5 follows the shore of
San Diego Bay and intersects
State Route 15 (a continuation of
I-15) near
Naval Station San Diego. The freeway then travels around
downtown San Diego and
San Diego International Airport before reaching a junction with
I-8. I-5 bisects the
University of California, San Diego campus, merging with I-805 nearby, and follows the
Pacific coastline through the
northern suburbs of San Diego. Between
Oceanside and
San Clemente, an stretch of the San Diego Freeway passes through
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton before entering
Orange County. At
Dana Point, I-5 turns inland and heads north through
Mission Viejo to the
El Toro Y interchange in
Irvine, where
I-405 splits and carries the San Diego Freeway designation. The freeway intersects
I-605 in
Downey and
I-710 in
Commerce before reaching the city of
Los Angeles. At the
East Los Angeles Interchange near
downtown Los Angeles, I-5 intersects
US 101 and begins a short
concurrency with
I-10 on a section of the
Golden State Freeway. After passing
Pyramid Lake, I-5 makes several turns as it follows a series of narrow valleys to reach the second-highest point of its entire length,
Tejon Pass (elevation ) in the
Tehachapi Mountains. At
Wheeler Ridge near the south end of the valley,
State Route 99 splits from the freeway to serve
Bakersfield and other major cities in the
Central Valley, while I-5 stays to the west. Now named the West Side Freeway, From the summit, I-5 descends by over at a 6 percent grade to reach the
Rogue Valley. The freeway passes through
Ashland and
Medford, running parallel to
Oregon Route 99, and turns west to follow the
Rogue River to
Grants Pass, where it intersects
US 199. I-5 then turns north and crosses a series of passes in the
Klamath Mountains to reach the Umpqua Valley, where it follows the
South Umpqua River to
Roseburg. The highway enters the
Willamette Valley near
Cottage Grove and forms the boundary between the cities of
Eugene and
Springfield. After crossing the
Willamette River, I-5 intersects
Oregon Route 126, which carries
I-105, and
Oregon Route 569; both highways provide connections to Eugene and Springfield. I-5 then travels due north through farmland on the east side of the Willamette River, passing a junction with
US 20 in
Albany, and bisects eastern
Salem near the
state capitol campus. From Salem, I-5 turns northeast and passes
Woodburn before crossing the Willamette River on the
Boone Bridge in
Wilsonville, at the south end of the
Portland metropolitan area. The freeway travels through the southern suburbs of
Portland, intersecting
I-205 in
Tualatin and
Oregon Route 217 in
Tigard before entering the city proper. I-5 then turns northeast to follow
Barbur Boulevard (part of Route 99W) and navigate the
Terwilliger curves. The freeway continues north through the
South Waterfront neighborhood, crossing under the
Portland Aerial Tram and the western approach to the
Ross Island Bridge (carrying
US 26) before reaching an interchange with
I-405.
Washington The highway enters
Vancouver at the north end of the Interstate Bridge and immediately intersects
Washington State Route 14 near the
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The freeway passes near downtown Vancouver and continues north through the city's suburbs before being rejoined by I-205 at
Salmon Creek. I-5 travels north along the Columbia River to
Kelso and
Longview, where it switches to following the
Cowlitz River between the
Willapa Hills and Cascade foothills. The freeway then turns northwest to traverse a
prairie and the adjacent cities of
Chehalis and
Centralia while concurrent with
US 12. I-5 continues north to a junction with
US 101 in
Tumwater, near
Olympia and the
state capitol campus. The freeway skirts the southeast side of downtown Olympia and turns east to cross
Joint Base Lewis–McChord (formerly
Fort Lewis and
McChord Air Force Base). I-5 then turns north to enter
Tacoma but bends east to intersect
I-705, a short spur into
downtown Tacoma. The freeway turns north again after leaving Tacoma and its
nearby seaport near
Fife to traverse the suburbs of
South King County. I-5 intersects its eastern bypass of
Seattle,
I-405, in
Tukwila near
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. It then turns north to intersect
Washington State Route 520 near
Eastlake and crosses the
Ship Canal Bridge over
Portage Bay, which lies between
Lake Union and
Lake Washington. I-5 continues through northern Seattle, passing the
University District near the
University of Washington campus and
Green Lake before leaving the city. I-5 continues through the northern suburbs of Seattle and turns northeasterly in
Lynnwood, where it is rejoined by I-405, which serves the
Eastside region. The freeway travels north through
Everett, skirting the city's downtown and intersecting
US 2, and leaves the
Seattle metropolitan area for the rural
Skagit Valley. I-5 descends into the valley and travels through
Mount Vernon and
Burlington before climbing into the
Chuckanut Mountains, where it turns west towards
Bellingham Bay (part of the
Salish Sea). The freeway travels around downtown
Bellingham and turns northwest to continue across the rural
Fraser Lowland. I-5 terminates at the
Peace Arch Border Crossing on the
Canadian border, adjacent to the
eponymous monument, in
Blaine. The highway becomes
British Columbia Highway 99, which continues northwest to
Vancouver. ==History==