MARYSVILLE — After a two-week reprieve from major construction delays, another weekend of five-mile backups is likely as workers reduce northbound I-5 into two narrow lanes near Marysville.
They’ll also be closing the on-ramp from Highway 529 onto I-5, which means downtown Marysville and Highway 9 could absorb the spillover.
It’s another episode in the saga of the so-called “Snohomish County Squeeze,” a $5.3 million maintenance project to replace 41 aging expansion joints on I-5. Work these days is concentrated on the Ebey and Steamboat Slough bridges.
“There is no easy way to get around it,” said Lisa Van Cise, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.
Northbound I-5 will be reduced to one lane Friday and Sunday nights as crews move a concrete barrier that protects workers from traffic. The workers have been chipping away at the pavement around expansion joints during the work week, protected behind the concrete barriers. On the weekend, they need access to the heavily-traveled areas that they can’t reach during the week.
Most drivers won’t be affected by the barrier move.
“It won’t be during the commute time by any means,” Van Cise said.
Still, plan for backups through the narrowed lanes.
The expansion joints are between 20 and 30 years old. Some were broken and have protruding or missing bolts. Some of the rubber seals have been torn and can’t keep water from seeping into the joints.
In the next few weeks, the “kerthunk” sound made when crossing the expansion joints should become quieter as the repairs are completed.
For those planning ahead, all three northbound I-5 lanes will remain open during the Memorial Day weekend.
Lane closures also are scheduled for the first two weekends in June. Those also could cause five-mile backups, but state Department of Transportation officials say commuters shouldn’t have to worry about any 12-mile backups similar to the ones that occurred earlier in the maintenance work.
The contractor is required to finish up by June 16, two days before the Marysville Strawberry Festival grand parade.
“We are closing in on the home stretch, “ Van Cise said.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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