Everett, Wash.
Published: Monday, April 7, 2008

Could new ramps help loosen Marysville traffic glut?

The ramps, proposed for the intersection of Highway 529 and I-5, might also help Fourth Street

By Bill Sheets, Herald Writer

 MARYSVILLE -- A study of how to move trucks and trains through Everett could have a big benefit for Marysville as well.

It could help drivers avoid congested Fourth Street, near I-5, and make that stretch easier to pass through for those who still must venture there.

A new freight mobility study being done by the city of Everett, with help from the Port of Everett and the city of Marysville, will look at the possibility of adding ramps to the intersection of Highway 529 and I-5.

Such a move would take pressure off Fourth Street and would mean "a new gateway" for the city, said Marysville public works director Paul Roberts, who is also an Everett city councilman.

Everett and the Port of Everett are each covering $64,350 of the $143,000 study, with Marysville kicking in $14,300.

Everett and the port did a similar study about 10 years ago, resulting in several projects, such as the new interchange at I-5 and 41st Street and an overpass above the railroad tracks at the foot of Everett Avenue, officials said.

Now, with growth in the area and the fact the previous study helped attract grant money for the earlier projects, officials decided it would be a good idea to update the study, said Ryan Sass, city engineer for Everett. It's hoped the study can be done in about six months.

One of the considerations was how to improve access to businesses on Smith Island, such as Buse Lumber, Dagmars Marina and Cedar Grove Composting, Sass said.

Currently, there is a northbound onramp from Highway 529 to I-5, and a southbound offramp from I-5 to 529. There is no onramp from Highway 529 to southbound I-5, and no offramp from northbound I-5 to 529.

Traffic flow to and from Smith Island could be improved by allowing drivers to exit I-5 northbound at Highway 529 and get onto I-5 southbound there, officials said.

This would also take traffic off Fourth Street between State Avenue and I-5, where drivers make about 28,000 trips per day.

A separate study being conducted by the city of Marysville and the state is looking at possible improvements to the I-5 interchange at Fourth Street. Staff working on the two studies will share information, Sass said.

A potential obstacle is that federal highway officials don't like to have freeway on- and offramps within a mile of each other, and the ramps at Fourth Street and Highway 529 are about two-thirds of a mile apart.

It's not clear how ramps would be configured or how much this or any other project resulting from the study would cost, Sass said. The Tulalip Tribes are aware of the study, since they have land near the Highway 529 interchange, officials said.

Another possibility would be to build ramps at the 12th Street overpass in north Everett, but this would involve more construction and road extensions, Sass said.

Other areas that will be studied include the intersection of E. Marine View Drive and I-5; improvements to the intersections of Rucker and Pacific avenues, and Pacific and W. Marine View Drive; overpasses for railroad crossings in the eastern part of Everett; and extending the Boeing Freeway eastward as an alternative to U.S. 2.

Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA