A major change to the off-ramp from eastbound U.S. 2 to Bickford Avenue in Snohomish is coming on Monday.
The current off-ramp that takes a long, soft right off the highway will be closed and a new, temporary one created slightly farther down the road that will require a 90-degree turn onto Bickford.
The change is needed for work on the state’s $20 million U.S. 2-Bickford Avenue overpass ramp project. For more information go to to the state’s project page.
The main feature of the project is a flyover on-ramp from Bickford to westbound U.S. 2, so drivers don’t have to dart across the eastbound lanes to reach the westbound side.
Crews will need the current off-ramp as a work area from which to build an approach to the new ramp, according to the state Department of Transportation. The ramp will be restored when the work is done in the fall of 2013.
“Our main message to drivers is, ‘You can’t take (the exit) at freeway speed like you used to,’ ” said Bronlea Mishler, a spokeswoman for the department. “We need you to slow down, get in the right-turn lane, and prepare to make that 90-degree turn onto Bickford.”
Occasional closures on U.S. 2 will be needed over the course of the project. No closures are planned on weekends until after the Evergreen State Fair, though some nighttime lane closures are planned the week of Aug. 27. One lane of eastbound U.S. 2 is scheduled to be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday nights.
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