Wire thieves struck Seattle’s transportation system again last week, disabling ramp meters that help break up the rush hour armada of commuters heading northbound on Interstate 5 from Interstate 90.

The May 25 theft of the highly sought-after copper wires was one of the 30 incidents in the Seattle metro area recorded by Washington State Department of Transportation officials so far in 2025, said James Poling, an agency spokesperson.

That number is up from last year, when 25 thefts occurred by this time of the year. “Thieves continue to find a way to circumvent our protective measures,” Poling said in an email.

Without the meters — red and green lights that parcel out the platoon of cars trying to merge from the east — congestion worsened, and commuters saw longer trips for more than a w

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