Closed for six years, Lowell-Snohomish road finally will reopen in mid-January
By Kate Reardon
Herald Writer
The mid-January opening of the Lowell-Snohomish River Road, which has been closed since 1995 after a flood washed out part of it, might be the opening of the traffic floodgates.
The road serves as an alternate link to the county’s east side, running near the Snohomish River through the valley and connecting Everett’s Lowell neighborhood to Snohomish.
"I suspect there will be a lot of people thinking this will be the alternative to make their lives easier," said Bruce Duvall, project manager with Snohomish County.
About 4,600 cars drove the road daily before the washout. County predictions show that number could increase to 5,100 once the road opens and to 6,500 by 2012.
"We’re getting pressure to get that road open," Duvall said.
"The weather hasn’t been cooperating with us," he said. "It’s been hard for the contractor. They can’t work in rainy conditions, so it’s taking them extra long."
The $9 million project to fix a 2.2-mile stretch of road and dike was paid for by federal and local money.
Another $1.8 million worth of work is being done on the east end of the road to realign the intersection and add a traffic light.
It made sense to open the road when all work on both projects is completed, Duvall said.
The length of time it took to fix the dike was really no surprise, he said.
The county knew the dike project would take three construction seasons, and some work started in late 1996. It took some time to do the design work and then allow the diking district to buy more land to relocate the dike and road, Duvall said.
"It was a different type of construction that we did out there," he said, adding it took a while to get additional money to build the longer dike.
The former dike was smaller and had often been referred to as the "peanut" dike.
"Now it’s a whole width of the road," he said. "It’s made to last."
You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455 or send e-mail to reardon@heraldnet.com.
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