County plans to widen, improve 35th Avenue near Mill Creek

MILL CREEK — As homebuilding boomed in surrounding neighborhoods, the road network lagged. In some places, it literally sagged.

During the coming construction season, local governments plan to start getting important arterials in the Bothell and Mill Creek areas up to speed.

Snohomish County is preparing to put a contractor to work next month widening nearly two miles of 35th Avenue SE. The work should stretch into 2019.

The city of Mill Creek, meanwhile, plans to fix a separate section of 35th Avenue that’s prone to sinking. And by the end of the summer, the county expects to wrap up ongoing work on Seattle Hill Road.

“We know we’re playing catch-up, but we’re bound and determined to make it right now,” said Councilman Terry Ryan, whose district covers the Mill Creek and Bothell areas. “We’re going to need to do more. This is what we can afford to do now.”

That means delays and detours for the next few years, but the promise of better things to come.

Anyone who wants to learn more has the chance to stop by two open houses this month. The first is being hosted by Mill Creek at City Hall North from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. That meeting also will highlight nearby work on state routes, Community Transit’s future Swift Green Line and utility projects, as well as the detours all of that work is bound to create.

The second open house is being hosted by Snohomish County at Mill Creek Elementary School from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 25. The meeting will focus on the next phase of widening 35th Avenue.

The upcoming work will expand 35th Avenue to three continuous lanes between Seattle Hill Road (152nd Avenue NE) and 180th SE, a distance of nearly two miles. The two-lane road is due to get a center turn lane, plus bike lanes, planter strips and sidewalks on both sides. Work is supposed to start in May and finish next year.

The County Council on Wednesday approved a low bid of nearly $8.7 million for the work from Marshbank Construction of Lake Stevens. The total budget is about $13.5 million, after factoring in design, permitting and other costs.

On the portion of the road due for the upgrades, traffic grew by about 30 percent from 2001 to 2017, or about 2 percent per year, according to the county.

On adjoining Seattle Hill Road, similar widening improvements started last year from 132nd Street SE south to 35th Avenue. County public works officials said that work is on track to wrap up this summer.

The second phase of work on 35th Avenue SE is slated to start in 2020 and finish the following year. It would extend the improvements north of 180th Street SE south down to Maltby Road.

By 2021, the county anticipates getting to work punching through 43rd Avenue SE and Sunset Road as a parallel arterial to the east. That would create a through street from 180th to Maltby Road that doesn’t exist now.

Mill Creek is preparing to start a $6.5 million project later this spring to fix 35th Avenue around the Penny Creek crossing. That’s north of the county work. The city roadwork will cause the full closure of 35th between 141st and 144th streets SE in Mill Creek through October. The detour route is via 132nd Street SE and Seattle Hill Road.

Parts of 35th Avenue have settled more than 2 inches during the past three years and 2 feet over the past 10 years, the city reported. That’s been ongoing since 2003, when the county widened 35th in that area using fill on top of peaty soil. City officials also said the surrounding wetlands have been rising because of urban development upstream and beaver dams downstream.

Noah Haglund: nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.

Open houses

Two upcoming open houses focus on major roadwork in and around Mill Creek:

On Thursday, Mill Creek officials will be joined by representatives from other agencies. The meeting is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Mill Creek City Hall North, 15720 Main St. Topics include city, county and state road projects, as well as Community Transit’s future Green Line and utility work in the area.

On April 25, Snohomish County Public Works has scheduled an open house to discuss the next phase of widening 35th Avenue SE, from Seattle Hill Road to 180th Street SE. The meeting is set from from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Mill Creek Elementary School, 3400 148th St SE.