Monroe wants to fix traffic woes

MONROE – The city needs $23.5 million to tackle clogged roads over the next six years, and city taxpayers may be asked to pay.

Traffic in Monroe is notorious and needs a fix now, City Councilman Mitch Ruth said.

“The longer we wait, the longer we will have to live with the problem,” Ruth said.

The council earlier this month agreed on 29 projects to take on between 2008 and 2013, said Tom Gathmann, an engineer at the city. The project list includes improving heavily used roads, adding sidewalks and bike lanes, and installing new traffic signals.

To pay for some of the proposed projects, city officials said they are considering putting a $10 million bond on the ballot in 2009.

People are already paying the price for traffic problems in town – they’re stuck in traffic. Ruth said it makes sense to spend money to make the situation better.

“As long as we do a good job at communicating with the public what we are going to do with the money, then people will support it,” he said.

The city also plans to sell 20 acres that it owns near the new North Kelsey shopping center north of U.S. 2 to developers in the next few years, said Hiller West, the city’s community development director. City officials want to siphon part of the profits – $5 million – into the transportation projects.

The rest of the money needed for the projects is expected to come from multiple sources including fees from housing and commercial developers, city officials said.

The proposed projects are part of the city’s new transportation plan released earlier this year, which lists 43 projects over the next 23 years. The plan, the biggest of its kind in Monroe, cost the city $165,000.

City officials have talked about fixing traffic problems in town for a long time, City Councilman Geoffrey Thomas said. It’s time to start doing projects.

“I fully expect we will see the work beginning to improve transportation issues soon,” Thomas said.

Meanwhile, some of Monroe’s traffic woes are out of the city’s hands, Thomas said. U.S. 2, a congested highway, passes through the city of about 16,000 people. And highways 522 and 203 carry thousands of vehicles each day. The state is responsible for making most improvements to those roadways.

Monroe hopes the state will build a U.S. 2 bypass around the city. The first phase of the project would cost about $40 million. The work is set to be in a list of road projects proposed by the Regional Transportation Investment District. Voters in Snohomish, Pierce and King counties plan to decide on the projects in November.

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.

Monroe road projects

Here are some examples of transportation projects that Monroe wants to tackle between 2008 and 2013.