EVERETT — Rain, rain, go — ah, forget it.
A forecast of cooler temperatures and morning fog and dew, and a chance of rain, has prompted a postponement of U.S. 2 trestle work until spring.
Two full-weekend closures remain for a moisture-sensitive repaving project across the westbound span between Lake Stevens and Everett. This weekend was to be the fifth of six planned closures, which had already been postponed three times.
Many road projects depend on fair weather, but the U.S. 2 trestle project is more sensitive than most. The National Weather Service forecast for Saturday and Sunday includes showers.
Weather has been unfriendly from the start of trestle work last spring. Weekend work scheduled for May was postponed four times. Sunny weekdays repeatedly gave way to weepy weekends. In all, there were nine cancellations. That doesn’t include weekends that already were excluded from the work schedule because of holidays or major community events.
Autumn’s cooler temperatures and damp mornings bring further challenges.
“We want a quality product on the road that will last a really long time,” said Ally Barrera, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Department of Transportation. “We want it to be a worthy investment.”
No dates have been set for the final work. In the meantime, crews will be out overnight to smooth out expansion joints and finish lane striping.
The $11.6 million project also included repaving portions of U.S. 2 between Bickford Avenue and the interchange with 20th Street, which has been completed.
Other area road projects are expected to be finished.
They include installation of a roundabout on Highway 524 near Lynnwood, at Locust Way. That work was slated to happen this weekend but was canceled because of a rainy forecast. A full weekend closure for that project now is tentatively set for a period between 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, and 6 a.m. Monday, Oct 8.
“That one is one we will get done this year,” Barrera said.
It will be the second roundabout installed on that stretch of highway, which slips under I-405. A roundabout was installed last weekend just east of there, at Larch Way.
“Really, it all hinges on whether we have a dry Sunday,” Barrera said. That’s when crews put down new asphalt.
Resurfacing projects on Highway 531 and Highway 530 in Arlington also are wrapping up. Crews put down the final sealant layer Thursday on Highway 531 and are expected to be on Highway 530 on Monday to do the same.
Stripes will be painted late next week — weather depending.
Is the road open?
WSDOT closures in Snohomish County: tinyurl.com/WSDOTWork
WSDOT closures on I-5: tinyurl.com/WSDOTI5work
Snohomish County road projects: tinyurl.com/SnohCoWork
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