‘Sno-Co squeeze’ commuters find ways to cope; relief in sight

MARYSVILLE — Friday was bad.

Monday was a doozy.

Tuesday was no breeze.

These are the dog days of the so-called “Snohomish County squeeze” as construction workers replace I-5 expansion joints between Everett and Marysville.

The maintenance project slowed traffic in previous weeks, but Friday afternoon devolved into a 12-mile backup and Monday and Tuesday reduced traffic to a 10-mile trickle.

Gridlock has spilled into alleys and side streets in north Everett for those zigzagging their way to I-5 or taking Highway 529 across the flats.

“Getting home is pretty miserable,” said Heidi Thoreson, a contract employee for pathology services at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. “It’s taking at least twice as long to get home.”

On Tuesday, her commute to her home on the north end of the Tulalip Indian Reservation took one hour and six minutes.

“I listen to music and tell myself ‘I’m not going to get there any faster if I get upset,’ ” she said.

A couple of key factors are contributing to the snail’s pace.

The far right lane of I-5 leading off of Highway 529 northbound merges into traffic, and a sign tells drivers to yield to vehicles on I-5.

You also can blame Seattle — at least a bit.

Snohomish County is feeling a ripple from the closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle.

“The viaduct isn’t causing this, but it is shifting our traffic patterns,” said Lisa Van Cise, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

Commuters are changing habits, including the times they leave work, hoping to beat the traffic crunch.

“We start to get a backup much earlier than before,” Van Cise said. “You have almost a trickle-down effect.”

Backups lasted until 9 p.m. Friday. By Tuesday, lanes were cleared by 7:45 p.m.

Some level of relief is in sight if the weather cooperates.

By the end of next week, after more re-striping, the merging mess from Highway 529 to I-5 should be improved.

The work on the northbound lanes is expected to be finished by June 16.

Road crews have been replacing 41 expansion joints over I-5 bridges between Everett and Marysville as part of a two-year, $5.3 million project. Weekend lane closures for southbound work already have taken place.

On weekdays, three narrower lanes are available with a 45 mph speed limit.

Most weekends are reserved for replacing the expansion joints, with jackhammers and other preparation work occurring behind concrete barriers during the week. On those weekends, only two narrower lanes are available. No closures are planned during Memorial Day weekend.

Expansion joints allow concrete sections of bridges to expand and contract as temperatures go up and down and traffic loads vary. As the joints deteriorate, they become safety hazards to drivers. They can bend, crack or collapse. The expansion joints being replaced range from 20 to 30 years old.

Tim Vaughan doesn’t get too worked up over the I-5 gridlock.

The Mount Vernon man, who spent much of his childhood in Lynnwood, commutes to his job south of Seattle during the week. He previously worked in downtown Seattle, a big reason for the 494,000 miles he put on a 1996 Toyota pickup truck.

He’s accustomed to slowdowns in north King County through Lynnwood and Everett.

“You just exercise patience,” he said. “You find some entertainment on the radio, stay off the cellphone and you’ll get through it.”

During the recent construction on the Steamboat Slough and Ebey Slough bridges, he has noticed the frustration among drivers not using turn signals and desperately looking for ways to weave through the congestion. Thoreson on Tuesday saw similar impatience on the streets leading onto Broadway in Everett.

Vaughan well remembers 2001. For longtime commuters, that was the summer of the snarl. Northbound Highway 529 was closed several weeks for construction.

“It was brutal,” he said.

On his way home Monday, he stopped in Everett to carpool with a friend. They left around 5:40 p.m. and pulled into Mount Vernon around 7:10 p.m. Tuesday he left a little earlier and the commute was a bit better, taking roughly 70 minutes from Everett.

The late arrival didn’t change dinner plans. He had pork chops and vegetables Monday and spaghetti Tuesday.

He said he accepts the slow commute for what it is: a necessary inconvenience for an important maintenance project that must be done.

Dealing with bottlenecks just makes him appreciate his destination all that much more.

“Getting home has been a delight, quite frankly, because you are home,” he said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.