Dry, warm weather means Snohomish County road work galore

There’s never really a convenient time for drivers to have road work close lanes or routes.

After all, the greatest asset of driving solo is the convenience, or at least the perceived convenience. When something — a road project, a holiday weekend rush, a car crash that snarls traffic, someone with an inexplicably time-consuming drive-thru order — gums that up, it can raise the blood pressure of the most saintly driver.

To that end, there’s bad news with road work projects hitting their stride this month and through the rest of spring and summer, maybe even into early fall if the rainy season starts late. The upside is that it means dry, warm weather is in the forecast, though even too much of that is obviously a danger.

Work is underway on the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane extension for northbound I-5 between Everett and Marysville along with the Highway 529 interchange overhaul. It’ll mean a long-term shift for the current Highway 529 ramps in and out of Marysville and some lane closures on I-5.

Highway 9 between Arlington and Marysville is set to become a one-lane road during overnight work for the next two weeks. Work could get rescheduled if the weather isn’t suitable.

The lane reductions are scheduled each night starting at 8:30 p.m. through 4:30 a.m. from Monday to Friday, and again the following week Tuesday, June 20, to Friday, June 23.

Construction crews contracted by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) are repairing damage, replacing bridge joints on an overpass, and replacing pavement markings and rumble strips between 132nd Street NE and Highway 528.

Flaggers and pilot cars will manage alternating traffic during that work, which could cause delays. Drivers could use other routes, namely I-5, to avoid the backups.

Later this month both directions of a Highway 9 stretch are set to close in Lake Stevens for a week.

Crews contracted by WSDOT are scheduled to work on a two-lane roundabout near the Highway 204 intersection between 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 21 and 5 a.m. Wednesday, June 28.

The planned detour uses Lundeen Parkway and Market Place, and delays are likely.

Travelers heading south on Highway 9 must turn onto Lundeen Parkway. Northbound traffic can use the highway north of the recently built roundabout at Davies and Vernon roads. Eastbound and westbound traffic can use that roundabout, too.

Access to businesses is supposed to be open during work, but the frontage road east of Highway 9 is limited to traffic from the Davies Road roundabout.

Snohomish County’s annual resurfacing work on 59 miles of county roads started earlier in spring and is scheduled into October. Most of the work, about 55 miles, is planned as pre-level and chip seal, with over 4 miles of asphalt paving.

For pre-level work that started in April, crews fix potholes and failing or uneven pavement and drainage issues. They also clear vegetation.

Chip seal work, set to begin in July and finish in September, can prolong a road surface up to 10 years, according to county public works staff. Roads that get chip sealing have a temporary 20 mph speed limit to reduce loose chips damaging a vehicle and to adhere to the asphalt.

Some sidewalk ramps could be upgraded to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

County road work is planned for:

Over 9 miles near Arlington;

About ⅓-mile near Brier;

Over 13 miles in the Cathcart area;

Over 4 miles near Granite Falls;

Over 1 mile near Lynnwood;

Almost 15 miles near Monroe;

Over 3 miles near Snohomish; and

Over 12 miles near Stanwood.

For specific locations, visit https://snohomishcountywa.gov/512/Resurfacing-Paving-Chip-Seal.

Have a question? Call 425-339-3037 or email streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your first and last name and city of residence.