Ongoing road work near schools worries parents
Published 2:29 pm Monday, November 23, 2009
MARYSVILLE — A road-construction project outside Shoultes Elementary School has dragged on months longer than expected, causing parents to worry about their children’s safety.
Ken Newman shared a common frustration on Friday, as he waited for his first-grade daughter and third-grade son to get out of school.
“It’s a joke,” said Newman, gesturing toward the road. “They said it was supposed to have been done before the beginning of the year.”
Yet months later, the Snohomish County project remains an active construction site set off by orange cones. The unfinished sidewalks and heavy construction equipment continue to make Newman and other parents nervous. Another ongoing road project outside Cascade Elementary School, about 2 miles away, has caused similar worries.
A meeting at the Shoultes Elementary School gym tonight could answer parents’ questions, including why the project has taken so long. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the school gym on 13525 51st Ave. NE, Marysville. It’s expected to last about an hour and a half, with a presentation and a question-and-answer period.
“We felt it was time to have a meeting and get people information on the project,” said John Bingham, the Marysville School District’s capital projects director. “We’ve been working with the county all the way along. They have not been ignoring us or anything like that. They’re probably as frustrated as we are that it’s gone on as long as it has.”
Work at both sites should be done by early next year, county spokesman Christopher Schwarzen said. Snohomish County Public Works staff has met with school officials about the projects 11 times since 2007.
The work in front of Shoultes Elementary involves the three-way intersection of 51st Avenue NE and 136th Street NE. The county is replacing a stop sign with a new traffic signal and adding left-turn lanes on all three legs of the intersection.
Delays stemmed from problems acquiring the right of way and the late delivery of traffic-signal equipment, Schwarzen said.
Outside Cascade Elementary, the work involves replacing stop signs with stop lights at the four-way intersection of 51st Avenue NE and 100th Street NE. Other work includes left-turn lanes, crosswalks and sidewalks.
Trouble taking over the right of way put this project four months behind schedule, Schwarzen said, and was only resolved last week.
Noah Haglund: 425-338-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Meeting planned
Learn more about construction near Marysville’s Shoultes and Cascade elementary schools tonight. Marysville School District and Snohomish County officials will be on hand to answer questions starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Shoultes Elementary School gym, 13525 51st Ave. NE, Marysville.
