Published: Saturday, September 4, 2010
State hatching ideas to improve U.S. 2 trestle
EVERETT -- A list of possible remedies for the U.S. 2 traffic bottleneck commonly known as the trestle could be developed by the middle of next month.
The state is looking at options for improvements that can be done for 2020 and 2040, said Richard Warren, corridor planning manager for the state Department of Transportation.
The study is looking at the entire transportation corridor from Naval Station Everett along Hewitt Avenue and U.S. 2 to Bickford Avenue in Snohomish.
The trestle, though, is the key part of that stretch, with few choices available for crossing the Snohomish River delta wetlands east of Everett.
"It's an important corridor for Snohomish County and for workers who work in Everett, and we've been very supportive of improvements to U.S. 2," Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said.
The Legislature last year approved the state's portion of $400,000 for the study. The city of Everett and Snohomish County are kicking in $200,000 each, bringing the total to $800,000.
Most of the money will go to a consultant, Fehr & Peers of Kirkland, and to cover staff time and public outreach efforts, Warren said.
The list of choices will include low, medium and high-cost options. The list will be aired in public as soon as this fall and a final report is expected by next spring.
Possibilities range from continuing to allow shoulder driving on the trestle at peak times or erecting electronic readerboards -- on the cheaper end -- all the way up to replacing or adding to the elevated structure.
"That would be one of the high-cost options," Warren said.
The eastbound half of the trestle was built with timber in the 1930s and rebuilt in sections in the '90s, said Carol Hunter, who is managing the study for the state Department of Transportation.
The westbound half was built in 1968, she said. The east end of the westbound half was refurbished in 2007 and the west end is scheduled for a spruce-up next year.
If any improvements are made to the trestle, it could mean new ramps would be needed as well, said Richard Tarry, engineering services manager for the city of Everett.
The study is "definitely to look at the intersection and the way I-5 and U.S. 2 operate together currently and what could be improved," he said. "That's a challenging point for traffic."
Adding to the trestle and associated ramps would likely cost well over $500 million, state officials estimated last year.
The study is looking only at options for improving traffic flow, not at how to pay for them. The Puget Sound Regional Council, a planning agency, has proposed tolls as a way to finance major improvements, listing the trestle as a candidate. The agency recommends in its Transportation 2040 plan, approved earlier this year, that all major highways in the Puget Sound region employ electronic tolls by 2030.
The state, county and city stand to increase their chances of getting state or federal money for the trestle by pooling their resources on the study, officials said.
"That's kind of a stronger case than if just one jurisdiction wants to do it," said Meghan Pembroke, a spokeswoman for the transportation department. "The reason we do these studies is to get a cooperative approach to these projects."
A study on the eastern part of U.S. 2 in the county, from Snohomish to Skykomish, was completed in 2007. The state identified 56 needed improvements at a cost of about $2 billion.
The state is looking at options for improvements that can be done for 2020 and 2040, said Richard Warren, corridor planning manager for the state Department of Transportation.
The study is looking at the entire transportation corridor from Naval Station Everett along Hewitt Avenue and U.S. 2 to Bickford Avenue in Snohomish.
The trestle, though, is the key part of that stretch, with few choices available for crossing the Snohomish River delta wetlands east of Everett.
"It's an important corridor for Snohomish County and for workers who work in Everett, and we've been very supportive of improvements to U.S. 2," Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said.
The Legislature last year approved the state's portion of $400,000 for the study. The city of Everett and Snohomish County are kicking in $200,000 each, bringing the total to $800,000.
Most of the money will go to a consultant, Fehr & Peers of Kirkland, and to cover staff time and public outreach efforts, Warren said.
The list of choices will include low, medium and high-cost options. The list will be aired in public as soon as this fall and a final report is expected by next spring.
Possibilities range from continuing to allow shoulder driving on the trestle at peak times or erecting electronic readerboards -- on the cheaper end -- all the way up to replacing or adding to the elevated structure.
"That would be one of the high-cost options," Warren said.
The eastbound half of the trestle was built with timber in the 1930s and rebuilt in sections in the '90s, said Carol Hunter, who is managing the study for the state Department of Transportation.
The westbound half was built in 1968, she said. The east end of the westbound half was refurbished in 2007 and the west end is scheduled for a spruce-up next year.
If any improvements are made to the trestle, it could mean new ramps would be needed as well, said Richard Tarry, engineering services manager for the city of Everett.
The study is "definitely to look at the intersection and the way I-5 and U.S. 2 operate together currently and what could be improved," he said. "That's a challenging point for traffic."
Adding to the trestle and associated ramps would likely cost well over $500 million, state officials estimated last year.
The study is looking only at options for improving traffic flow, not at how to pay for them. The Puget Sound Regional Council, a planning agency, has proposed tolls as a way to finance major improvements, listing the trestle as a candidate. The agency recommends in its Transportation 2040 plan, approved earlier this year, that all major highways in the Puget Sound region employ electronic tolls by 2030.
The state, county and city stand to increase their chances of getting state or federal money for the trestle by pooling their resources on the study, officials said.
"That's kind of a stronger case than if just one jurisdiction wants to do it," said Meghan Pembroke, a spokeswoman for the transportation department. "The reason we do these studies is to get a cooperative approach to these projects."
A study on the eastern part of U.S. 2 in the county, from Snohomish to Skykomish, was completed in 2007. The state identified 56 needed improvements at a cost of about $2 billion.
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