The newly paved portions of the westbound U.S. 2 trestle are smooth and black — with the occasional hiccup.
There’s an audible bump over each expansion joint.
More work is coming to smooth out the expansion joints, said Ally Barrera, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Department of Transportation, in a roundup of Snohomish County roadwork.
“The crews will go back and smooth out the expansion joints once they complete all the paving work,” she wrote. “My engineers tell me it has something to do with using concrete — instead of asphalt — around the joints. If they were to pour the concrete during a repaving weekend, the concrete wouldn’t have enough time to dry and harden.”
Eventually that work will be done, likely requiring single-lane overnight closures. And the improved road will provide an even smoother drive.
Why bring this up? Many drivers have found the expansion joints to be louder and bumpier than before.
My own theory: The bumps that remind us we’re on a bridge were simply lost in the noise of a two-mile stretch of potholes and cracks.
Learn more about the trestle project at tinyurl.com/TrestlePave and keep track of lane closures at tinyurl.com/WSDOTWork.
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