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Bridge at 172nd wins key funding

Published 9:00 pm Monday, November 24, 2003

By Lukas Velush / Herald Writer

About six months ago, business owners and City Council members in Smokey Point were told they weren’t going to get any gas tax money to build a new bridge that would untangle traffic.

But the state Department of Transportation also gave them hope. Go find the money, they were told, and the state would build the new 172nd Street NE bridge over I-5.

On Monday the last chunk of money came — putting a total of $7 million into the piggy bank for the $6.5 million project. The $3 million grant was awarded by the state Transportation Improvement Board.

"This is the best news we could possibly imagine," said Becky Foster, owner of Bruce and Becky’s Interiors in Marysville.

A six-lane bridge will reduce the long backups that occur at Smokey Point. Congestion from the old two-lane bridge has caused a high rate of accidents and limits growth in the area.

Business owners already got promises of $3 million from Congress, not yet officially approved; $750,000 from Arlington and Marysville; $227,000 from the state DOT; and $10,000 from the Tulalip Tribes.

The new bridge could be built in about two years, said Ron Paananen, DOT’s deputy regional administrator.

Overall, $9.1 million in projects were given state Transportation Improvement Board grants. The other projects are:

  • $3.1 million to Mill Creek for its $5 million plan to widen Dumas Road from 128th Street SE to the Bothell-Everett Highway.

  • $2.5 million to Snohomish County for work on 112th Street SW from Highway 425 to Airport Road. The project cost is $9.9 million overall.

  • $316,838 to Granite Falls for improvements to the Stanley Street and Granite Avenue intersection.

  • $107,739 to Everett for improvements to Seventh Avenue SE from 93rd Street SE to 100th Street SE.

    Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.

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