MARYSVILLE — As the city plans its transportation needs for the next 20 years, Marysville officials want to hear from the public.
City residents can submit comments at marysvilletransportationplan.com until Friday. An online open house lets users flip through over 100 potential projects.
Around 70,000 people call Marysville home, with that number expected to rise to 90,000 by 2035.
The infrastructure projects look to accommodate both population and economic growth.
One project of note is a series of new roads geared toward business growth north of 152nd Street NE near the Arlington Municipal Airport. That potential project is in the Cascade Industrial Center.
Prior to the open house, Marysville surveyed residents about transportation in the city. Making it safer and easier to walk were priorities, as were reducing traffic congestion and increasing traffic safety.
“One of the big takeaways that we have from this feedback is that there’s a definite prioritization of pedestrian facilities in particular,” said Jesse Birchman, the city’s transportation and parks maintenance manager. “That often ends up actually being kind of complementary to some of the bike facilities and trying to develop out that system. But that is something that was kind of observed from these results that were a little bit stark and slightly unexpected.”
Almost 90% of the survey respondents owned their home, and over half commute every day, with 25% working fully remotely. Only 6% fully opposed funding increases for transportation projects. The transportation plan looks at mobility needs for all users, including: pedestrians, bikers, transit riders and drivers of all types of vehicles.
Other projects, like the Ebey Waterfront Trail and trails to connect Marysville and Lake Stevens are also under consideration. Another potential project is sidewalk and bike path work in downtown Marysville.
The plan, also known as the transportation element, is a section of the city’s state-mandated comprehensive plan dictating how Marysville wants to grow and change. It represents a vision of 20 years into the future and must be updated every eight years.
Marysville’s original growth management plan was adopted in 1996 and updated in 2005 and 2015. The 2015 plan is 819 pages and covers a wide swath of city projects and goals in Marysville. The current process will update the 2015 document.
Road, traffic signal and multi-modal (bike, walking) projects are all included in the about 125 projects included in the open house, Birchman said. Some of those projects will likely be combined, depending on what types of grants the city gets for them.
“Those projects can be sliced and diced as we go to actually implement them later on, as well,” Birchman said. “Oftentimes, the pedestrian projects get rolled in as part of a larger roadway vehicular type project.”
The open house helps the city decide which projects will have priority.
“We really desire that public participation,” Birchman said. “Because this is the roadmap that lays out what transportation looks like 20 years from now, as much as that may change into the future.”
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
