EDMONDS — Two key city projects have received a big boost — $1.7 million in state money for improving waterfront access and safety along Highway 99.

The two-mile stretch of highway through Edmonds is used by some 39,000 cars and trucks daily. The city has been working for several years on plans for improvements.

The $1 million approved by the Legislature will be used for what’s expected to be a series of pedestrian, street safety and landscaping projects. It also may include moving overhead power lines underground.

Like a similar project along Highway 99 in Shoreline, it could take years to complete. The upgrade in Edmonds ultimately could cost $10 million or more.

The highway’s safety has long been a concern.

“We’ve been experiencing some crashes up there, particularly between 216th and 224th Street SW,” said Phil Williams, the city’s public works director.

The area could be among the first improvements in the Highway 99 project, with features to reduce left-turn accidents, he said.

The city hopes to increase the number of places for pedestrians to safely cross the busy highway, Mayor Dave Earling said.

As the city develops its final plan for improvements, “we want to clearly show what we think this project could eventually bring in return,” Earling said. The city hopes to encourage affordable housing in the area, along with retail and office space.

“If you’re going to do affordable housing, you’ve got to have not only open space but neighborhood amenities like pocket parks so it becomes a real feeling of a neighborhood,” he said.

Some $700,000 in additional state money will be used to continue design work on fixing a decades-long problem on the city’s waterfront. The two access points to the area, Main and Dayton streets, can be blocked for hours by trains when there’s an accident.

Last year, the city settled on construction of a single-lane overpass, called the waterfront connector, as the best way to solve the issue. It would begin at the intersection of Edmonds Street and Sunset Avenue over the railroad tracks leading down to Brackett’s Landing North and Railroad Avenue.

The project’s estimated cost is $29 million and could take several years to build.

When complete, it will provide pedestrian access to the nearby beaches, parks and businesses.

When trains block Main and Dayton streets, it will provide police and fire units emergency access to the area. It also will allow cars arriving on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry a way to exit without having to wait until the tracks are cleared.

The next steps in the project are design, permitting and environmental review.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.