If the trip along Interstate 5 in Washington state hasn’t been frustrating enough with a detour resulting the collapse of a bridge last month, it’s only going to get worse starting Friday evening.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is closing a five-mile section north of Vancouver as crews start erecting a new overpass in the Salmon Creek area.

Beginning Friday at 11 p.m. and running through Monday at 5 a.m., I-5 will be closed between the I-205 junction and State Route 500.

Large cranes are going to be in the middle of the freeway during the closure as 165 foot-long, 175,000 steel beams are put in place.

The state DOT says the closure will “have a ripple effect on traffic in the entire area and there’s a huge potential for traffic headaches – even nightmares.”

The Washington State Department of Transportation says there are several alternate routes drivers can use to access I-205 and detour around the closure:

• Northbound traffic can transfer to I-205 at the southern I-5/I-205 junction in Tualatin, or use I-84 or SR 14 to travel east to I-205.

• Southbound traffic can transfer to I-205 at the northern I-5/I-205 junction in Salmon Creek and use SR 14 or I-84 to travel west and return to I-5. 

• Local traffic can use SR 500 to travel between I-5 and I-205.

The good news is this is the last phase of a construction project in the area.

This comes as a section of I-5 in Mt. Vernon, north of Seattle, remains closed after a section of a bridge over the Skagit River collapsed last month, resulting in a detour. Crews are working to install a temporary section and the area should reopen around mid-June.