Repaving work on U.S. 2 finished

Published 10:22 pm Thursday, October 1, 2009

Crews have wrapped up repaving and installation of markers on five miles of U.S. 2 between Sultan and Monroe, according to the state Department of Transportation.

All but $100,000 of the $2.1 million project was financed with federal funds. Federal economic stimulus money accounted for much of the total.

The project also includes rumble strips on the center line and shoulders of the dangerous roadway, which has seen several fatal accidents in recent years.

In 2007, the state worked with local communities to develop a list of 56 projects to improve safety and reduce congestion on U.S. 2. The price tag for those projects would exceed $1 billion.

The state has made a number of targeted improvements, including adding 40 miles of rumble strips along the center line and shoulders between Monroe and Stevens Pass.

In the 2008 the state Legislature approved $10 million for U.S. 2 safety improvements between Monroe and Gold Bar. Those changes include building new turn lanes and closing crash-prone intersections at Fern Bluff Road and Sultan-Startup Road. That work is scheduled to begin in 2010.