I-5 lane closures through Everett cause no trouble — yet

Published 11:07 pm Thursday, March 6, 2008

EVERETT — Drivers expected a headache on southbound I-5 through Everett when the state made a rare lane closure in the middle of the freeway.

It didn’t happen. Still, traffic officials expect that the lane closure could cause problems on almost any morning over the next two months.

On Thursday, light traffic cruised easily through the stretch of I-5 construction.

“Traffic moved smoothly, but we have up to eight weeks of this traffic split,” said Mike Cotten, project director for the state’s Everett I-5 widening project.

Crews on Wednesday night closed a segment of a middle lane to replace a girder that supports the freeway over Pacific Avenue in Everett.

A truck carrying an excavator hit and damaged the 95-foot-long girder in December 2006.

Commuters on Thursday morning started driving around the work zone on southbound I-5.

“I was glad to see things go smoothly,” said Patty Michaud, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “I think it was a little bit lighter than usual.”

Traffic volume on I-5 in Everett during rush hours varies each day, Michaud said. About 90,000 vehicles pass over the Pacific Avenue bridge daily on average.

Traffic sometimes backs up between Everett and Marysville during rush hours, even though it ran smoothly Thursday.

“Friday, traffic may be heavier for the weekend,” Michaud said.

Rain is forecast to start falling over Snohomish County this afternoon, leaving I-5 wet over the night, said Ted Buehner, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Speed limits near the construction zone have been reduced from 60 mph to 50 mph.

State officials want commuters to observe the lower speed limits for their own safety. And construction crews are set to start working in the work zone on Saturday, Michaud said.

Traffic engineers have installed speed sensors near the work zone to help drivers navigate the area. They need to merge into the two lanes on their left or a single lane on their right around the work zone. If drivers plan to exit I-5 onto 41st Street, they must stay in the right lane.

Before the project started, some drivers expressed concerns about spending more time on I-5.

On Feb. 14, the state shut down a segment of a Broadway merging lane onto southbound I-5 to rebuild the road’s shoulder. That has caused traffic backups.

On Thursday morning, a State Patrol aircraft hovered over the new construction zone at the Pacific Avenue bridge to monitor drivers, trooper Kirk Rudeen said.

A minor accident occurred on southbound I-5 at U.S. 2 around 4:25 a.m., Rudeen said. But the traffic split didn’t seem to cause any problems.

“It seems like during the main commute, we didn’t have any collisions,” he said.