New interchange, ramps, set to open in Marysville
Published 2:28 pm Tuesday, July 22, 2025
MARYSVILLE — After more than 10 years of planning, setbacks, construction, and over $100 million spent, a new interchange is finally set to connect south Marysville to I-5 and a nearby state highway.
Drivers will just need to wait a few more weeks.
The project is adding a roundabout with new on- and off-ramps connecting the interstate to Highway 529, the highway between Everett and Marysville which has recently faced traffic issues due to frequent repairs. It also extended a northbound HOV lane from Everett to Marysville with the goal of reducing congestion along the stretch of highway used by about 65,000 vehicles per day. That lane opened in August 2024.
The new northbound off-ramp will allow drivers to access Marysville via I-5 without having to cross railroad tracks, which run through the city at grade and frequently block traffic.
“If you live in Marysville or commute through Marysville, you know how big of a deal that is,” Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said Tuesday.
City staff celebrated the new interchange with regional partners at a ribbon cutting Tuesday, although it’s not yet open.
The Department of Transportation expects the on-ramps and new roundabout to open by mid-August. The northbound ramp is almost ready, department spokesperson Tom Pearce said Tuesday, but needs signage. The southbound ramp still requires some grading and paving.
As soon as any of the ramps are ready, they will open, Pearce said, but the roundabout will not open until both ramps are complete.
The $123 million interchange improvements were over 10 years in the making. Nehring had raised initial discussions about a new interchange 12 years ago, he said Tuesday, before the project received $84 million from the Connecting Washington transportation package the state approved in 2015.
As time and inflation pushed costs higher, by 2020, there were no takers when the state put the project up for competitive bidding. State legislators then provided another $30 million in 2022 to keep up with inflationary pressures and construction finally began in 2023.
In 2024, construction of the new HOV lane on I-5 aligned with months-long repairs to the state highway, causing regional backups during commute hours.
“We know that this has caused hardship and pain for drivers in the cities of Everett and Marysville,” said Robin Mayhew, a deputy regional administrator at the Washington Department of Transportation. “We appreciate your patience.”
Research has shown adding more lanes to a highway won’t always fix traffic problems. But with the new on- and off-ramps, the project includes more options for drivers to enter the city via I-5. The new ramps also connect to the First Street Bypass, a new $22 million extension of First Street the city opened in 2020 to relieve pressure from the frequently congested Fourth Street.
Community Transit is also set to open a new bus rapid transit line traveling between Marysville and Everett by 2031, giving another option to commuters.
“I know we had a lot of conversations throughout the years on this project, and to see it come to fruition is a blessing,” said Hazen Shopbell, a member of the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors, at the ribbon cutting Tuesday. “I don’t know how many times I’ve been stuck in traffic because the train is coming.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
