EVERETT — The worst of the so-called Snohomish County squeeze could be over as early as Tuesday morning, but drivers should expect a slow drive through Marysville on Mother’s Day weekend.
Road crews replacing expansion joints on I-5 between Everett and Marysville hope to do some restriping overnight Monday that should ease some of the congestion for northbound traffic.
They expect to finish a couple of days earlier than originally projected.
“Our contractor was creative,” said Lisa Van Cise, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
The restriping aims to improve the flow of traffic off of Highway 529 onto I-5, Van Cise said.
Crews plan to begin restriping northbound at 8 p.m. Monday to shift traffic to the left, so they can replace the expansion joints on the right.
The restriping will return the Highway 529 onramp to its own dedicated lane onto northbound I-5.
That would eliminate the temporary merge that has been occurring since April 29. Backups reached 12 miles that evening. The gridlock reached 10 miles Monday and Tuesday.
“The afternoon commute started earlier and lasted longer, and many of us working on the project drove home through it, too,” said Mike Swires, a state traffic engineer. “But we’re at the halfway point and traffic should get easier next week as we move to the next stage of work.”
Road crews have been replacing 41 expansion joints over I-5 bridges between Everett and Marysville as part of a two-year, $5.3 million project. Weekend lane closures for southbound work already have taken place.
On weekdays, three narrower lanes are available with a 45 mph speed limit.
Most weekends are reserved for replacing the expansion joints. That means gobbling up a lane and sometimes two to get the work done.
Such is the case this weekend as contractor crews from PCL Civil Constructors replace the aging expansion joints on the Ebey Slough Bridge. This weekend, the Highway 529 ramp is expected to be closed until early Monday morning, which, if history repeats itself, could mean backups in downtown Marysville.
“It’s Mother’s Day weekend; really plan accordingly,” Van Cise said.
Work on the northbound lanes is expected to be finished by June 16.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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