Public safety officials shut down the southbound ramp to State Route 167 at 15th Street Southwest Friday after a 5-gallon container of an unknown substance was discovered on the shoulder of the ramp.

Auburn police and the Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to the call. The Department of Ecology has been contacted.

Washington State Patrol was waiting for DOE officials to arrive on the scene.

The ramp remained closed as of 4:50 p.m. today.