Repairs will triple drive times for Lakewood-area residents
Published 1:30 am Thursday, November 24, 2016
MARYSVILLE — Railroad crossing repairs will spark a nine-mile detour for Lakewood-area residents early next week, nearly tripling drive times for school buses and commuters alike.
Burlington Northern Sante Fe plans to rebuild the crossing on 172nd Street NE (Highway 531) just east of 19th Drive NE. The closure is expected to run from 9 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
About 14,000 vehicles travel that stretch each day. The Lakewood School District, whose campuses are west of the crossing, has about 2,300 students and 300 teachers and staff.
The narrow crossing is notoriously bumpy. Work has been rescheduled more than once. At one point, the closure was set to happen during the school district’s winter vacation.
That would have been nice for school buses and teachers. But area businesses worried about being cut off at the height of the holiday shopping season, said Connie Mennie, a spokeswoman for the city of Marysville.
“I don’t think there’s any good time to do this work. But it’s long overdue, and all the parties recognize that,” Mennie said.
The school district is adjusting for the long detour.
Pickup times at schools and at homes will remain the same, but drop-off times will be pushed back by 10 to 20 minutes, said Robin Barker, the superintendent’s executive assistant. The timing of the work is disappointing, she said. “But the outcome will be smooth railroad tracks.”
BNSF plans to install new concrete panels, rails and ties, and resurface the crossing to make it as smooth as possible.
“We apologize about any inconveniences,” added Gus Melonas, a spokesman.
Detour details
Passenger vehicles traveling eastbound will be detoured to Forty Five Road to 23rd Avenue NE to 140th Street NE (Fire Trail Road) to 136th Street NE to Smokey Point Boulevard to 172nd Street NE. Westbound passenger vehicles will take the same route in reverse.
Since Snohomish County has a weight limit on Bridge 582 on 140th Street NE, trucks will be required to use a different detour. The eastbound truck route will go north onto Third Avenue NE to Sill Road to Highway 530 to Smokey Point Boulevard to 172nd Street NE.
More detailed detour maps indicate there will be options to reconnect with 172nd Street NE closer to the construction zone, as well, with northbound branches off the main detour route.
One project among many
The Marysville City Council is expected to vote soon on plans for other road improvements in the area, including roundabouts on 172nd Street at 19th Avenue NE and 11th Avenue NE, as well as extending 27th Avenue farther south.
State funding also is in hand to turn the 156th Street NE overpass into a full interchange with I-5. Preliminary work on the $42 million project is expected to start in 2025.
The Smokey Point business area, which acts as a kind of gateway to the Lakewood community, continues to grow. New restaurants, including Bonefish and Outback Steakhouse, are getting ready for grand opening events.
Meanwhile, the third phase of a multi-unit residential complex is getting under way. And Housing Hope plans to break ground on Twin Lakes Landing, its largest housing-assistance complex yet.
Construction should slow down after those projects are complete, Mennie said.
“There might be a handful of small, one house on a lot type of thing. But the sewer capacity is getting close to maxed out,” she said. “We don’t expect a lot more in the near future.”
Melissa Slager: mslager@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3432.
