MARYSVILLE — A new arterial that will lead to Marysville Getchell High School won’t be ready for drivers until mid- to late-October, officials said.
Whether the delay causes traffic congestion in the next few weeks is hard to say, city and school officials said.
Classes begin Sept. 7.
When its completed, Ingraham Boulevard will help connect 88th Street NE to Highway 9.
The school district expects about 1,400 students to attend the new school, which for now can be reached from 84th Street NE.
Ingraham will provide a grade that is less steep than 84th Street NE for students, city officials said.
The road is nearly ready.
“It’s close,” Kevin Nielsen, public works director for the city of Marysville, said.
Part of the $2.9 million construction project involved placing a culvert in the Grace Creek basin. The city needed to get several permits from state and federal agencies. Those permits set an installation window of July 15 to Oct. 15 to accommodate seasonal fish runs.
“It’s the only time we can be in that stream corridor,” Nielsen said.
Marysville Getchell is opening a year earlier than originally projected. That set an aggressive goal for a road project that is weather dependent, Nielsen said.
The new road will include bike lanes, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and a system to channel, treat and retain storm water.
John Bingham, the school district’s director of capital facilities, said new schools often have traffic backups when they open. Such was the case two years ago at Grove Elementary School.
“It settled down and leveled out,” he said. “I think that will be the case” at Getchell.
The school district was required to spend $3.1 million in improvements, such as sidewalks, road widening and traffic signalization, to compensate for the increased traffic volumes the new school will cause.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
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