Forum: Upgrades to Old Snohomish Road can limit road closures
Published 1:30 am Saturday, January 3, 2026
By Dan Bartelheimer / Herald Forum
As the Old Snohomish-Monroe Road leaves the Snohomish city limits and Lincoln Street, it drops down into the floodplain. The road is at its lowest as it goes under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. The road, at that point, dips about 2 feet, narrows and turns as it goes under the railroad trestle.
There are bicycle lanes on either side of the road except at this blind spot. Both foot and bicycle traffic need to use the traffic lanes on the blind curve creating a dangerous unavoidable situation. Berms that are 5 feet high on either side of the road are overgrown with vegetation and blackberries that restrict visibility.
The Snohomish River will start flooding the road under the railroad when the river exceeds 25 feet. The roadside berms at this location prevent flood debris from being deposited on the road. The silt from the floodwaters clogs the drain with each flood and water remains over the road until a county crew opens the drain with a vacuum truck. At times, the road will remain closed for days beyond the flood event.
Local residents and farmers have to drive around Monroe in order to get to Snohomish. Emergency service and school buses are also affected. Each day of road closure results in hundreds of trips taking an extra 20 to 40 minutes.
The situation can be easily improved at a nominal cost.
Replacing the present drain with culverts through the roadside berms would allow the water to drain off the road and the adjacent soccer fields soon after the river drops below the flood stage. The culverts would help eliminate the water erosion on the road shoulder and the need for a vacuum truck.
A bicycle and walking trail constructed on top of the berms and wrapping around on the outside of the concrete railroad piers would provide safety. With the blackberries removed from the berms, visibility for vehicle traffic will be improved. Aligning the road with the underpass would be a big safety improvement. The clearance under the railroad tracks is 16 feet. A small asphalt lift on the road may keep the road open another day or so each year.
The road is one of the most flood-prone of any in the county. When the floodwaters are only inches deep, a ”Water Over Road” sign to alert traffic as it passes through seems more appropriate than the road closure signs. A water height gauge on the railroad concrete piers would be beneficial.
Reopening the road as soon as possible after the floodwaters are off the road should be a top priority, not when it is convenient.
Dan Bartelheimer lives in Snohomish.
