SNOHOMISH — Late-night travelers on U.S. 2 between Lake Stevens and Snohomish should prepare for backups and a detour this weekend.
Contract crews for the Washington State Department of Transportation are scheduled to remove and replace two expansion joints on the nearly 40-year-old Pilchuck River bridge, if weather allows. The work will limit the highway to one lane of traffic from 9 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday, with flaggers alternating vehicle flow.
Backups could reach one mile along the highway, which saw an average of 23,000 vehicles every day in 2018, with surges on summer weekends.
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People in the area or traveling through are encouraged to skip non-essential trips, carpool and go through at non-peak times — before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
The work is part of a slew of projects along U.S. 2 between Everett and Index in Snohomish County.
WSDOT has spent the summer working to preserve 19 bridges on 23 miles of U.S. 2, which has meant congestion greater than normal. The pavement was laid in 2002, out-living a 15-year lifespan, and the new overlay and preservation work require removing the old asphalt, inspecting the bridge deck, repairs and putting down waterproof material, according to WSDOT.
Up next is a bridge deck overlay east of Index from Eagle Falls to Tye Creek, between 7:30 a.m. Monday and noon Aug. 14. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and could be delayed 20 minutes or longer.
The state continues to ask that people not illegally park on the shoulder of U.S. 2 at Eagle Falls. This summer the area has been dangerously congested. re their vehicles cross the fog line or in “no-parking” zones designated for emergency vehicles.
Ben Watanabe: bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3037; Twitter @benwatanabe.
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