INDEX — A project to increase rural internet connectivity near Index will begin work this spring.

Snohomish County Council approved the 27-mile fiber connection last summer. A cultural resource review, engineering design and permitting still need to be completed before construction can start.

The county approved $4.3 million to be spent on the Index rural internet project and another near Verlot. Ziply is kicking in about $1.3 million as well. Snohomish County and Ziply officials have long highlighted their rural internet work as a successful public-private partnership.

Ziply and Snohomish County also worked together on a larger project along Highway 530 between Arlington and Darrington. That project will connect about 4,000 households along with civic structures, like fire stations and libraries. That project is expected to be completed this fall.

“Civic partnerships like this represent a key component of our work to expand access to fiber internet across the Northwest,” Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber, said in a press release. “By working together, we now can bring fiber internet to more people in more communities and do it faster than either our company or the county could do on its own.”

Some of the funding for the project dates back to the American Rescue Plan Act. Snohomish County received about $160 million in ARPA funds, and about $5 million of that was earmarked for rural internet connectivity projects.

Snohomish County Council and the executive’s office even set up a task force to deal with the issue. Executive Dave Somers, council member Nate Nehring and council member Sam Low have spearheaded the charge for increasing connectivity.

The Verlot and Index projects represent the last of the ARPA funding for rural internet, Nehring said in an email. The county is still working to find other grants for future projects, Nehring said, who added that state and federal funding for rural internet should continue in the years to come.

“By bridging gaps in broadband access, we can help build opportunities for people in our community,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said in a release. “The internet is important infrastructure in modern life and having reliable access can open the door for options in education, employment, and more. We’re grateful to be able to partner with Ziply on bringing broadband to more Snohomish County residents.”

The Index and Verlot projects will connect about 1,000 households to high-speed internet. Ziply’s base rate starts at $20 per month, the release said, with speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 50 Gbps.

“Ziply Fiber has said from the beginning that smaller towns deserve the same high-quality infrastructure and internet services as larger cities and we couldn’t agree more,” Index city council member Scott MacDonald said in a release. “You don’t always see that kind of commitment from big companies.”

Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; X: @jordyhansen.