By Theresa Goffredo and Brian Kelly

Herald Writers

EVERETT — City council member Dale Pope wasn’t cracking wise.

In fact, he was quite serious when he suggested that Everett Transit provide a shuttle service between Everett and Marysville to help alleviate the congestion when the southbound Highway 529 bridge over Steamboat Slough closes for repairs in mid-April.

During Thursday’s council meeting, Pope suggested that bus service could leave Everett Station at 7 a.m., pick up passengers from the Marysville Park and Ride, and ferry them back to Everett Station.

City buses are permitted to travel 15 miles outside city limits, so it could be done, Pope said. And it would get cars off the road.

"There are a lot of people who live in Marysville and who work in Everett, and we owe it to those people to help get them into and out of our city," said Pope, who has been involved in transportation issues for years and has testified several times at state Department of Transportation hearings.

"If I had to sit in traffic for three hours, which happened here last year, I would get on that bus," Pope said. "And now we’ve got plenty of time to think about it."

Transportation officials Thursday confirmed that the Highway 529 project start date has been changed to sometime in mid-April. The start date largely depends on the contractor, Mowat Construction of Woodinville. The company is waiting to ensure it has the necessary parts on hand before the bridge is closed.

State transportation officials were at Thursday’s council meeting to go over the traffic plan for the southbound Highway 529 closure, including the use of reversible lanes Monday through Friday when traffic will go only southbound during the morning peak drive time and only northbound in the evening.

The good news is that with financial incentives to finish early, the work could be done in three months, project engineer Nabil Hamadeh told the council.

"The key plan is acceleration," Hamadeh said.

The project is the second phase of the rehabilitation and repair effort for the three bridges on Highway 529. The first phase last year led to gridlock in Everett and a situation Transportation Department officials now characterize as "a crisis." Some travelers sat in traffic for hours last year as Everett city streets became a parking lot when the northbound bridge closed.

"I don’t think the crisis is going to be anywhere near what it was (last year)," said Klara Fabry, the department’s area administrator in Snohomish County.

Even so, Fabry said Marysville will suffer gridlock during the evening commuting hours. Transportation officials are urging travelers to avoid city streets near Highway 528, just north of the Highway 529 project, and use alternate routes to the north, such as 88th Street NE, to reach I-5.

During the bridge closure, the only alternate route for northbound commuters through Everett will be Walnut Street.

Council member Ron Gipson expressed concern about what safety precautions the Transportation Department was taking while more vehicles are diverted through residential neighborhoods.

Extensive message signs will be used to warn motorists of detours. The department also will set up a command center and a hotline, and focus on increased coordination among the cities of Everett and Marysville and the department, Fabry said.

"There will be a major impact," Fabry said. "So we are asking your support to make it as painless as possible."

You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097 or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.