LYNNWOOD – Walking along 196th Street SW over I-5 can be dangerous, especially when reaching the offramp where drivers leave the freeway.
Many people walk that route, but many more might use it if they had more protection from traffic.
To solve the problem, the city is planning a $4.5 million walkway and bridge at I-5 and 196th Street SW.
Kevin Nortz / The Herald
“You build it, and more people will start using it,” said David Mach, who is managing the project for the city.
The City Council has given the go-ahead for design work to widen the walkway on the north side of the 196th Street SW bridge and build an angled pedestrian bridge over the southbound freeway offramp.
If the City Council gives final approval, construction would begin late this year or early in 2007 and be finished by late summer next year.
That would be timely for school kids who take the route.
“There’s a whole pack of kids that walk through our parking lot in the morning,” said Shauna Fortune, who co-owns Stop Watch Espresso west of the freeway.
The stand is next to FedEx, Kinko’s and Lamps Plus on the north side of 196th Street SW. Fortune said kids cut across the freeway offramp – where there’s no stoplight or crosswalk – “in the dark in the morning.”
Ray Shurtleff of Everett visits a friend in Lynnwood and likes the bridge idea.
“I usually take the bus and get off on the other side so I don’t have to mess with this,” he said.
“It definitely means something. It’s a very busy area,” he said. “A little more safety for pedestrians.”
The original plan, as part of the massive I-5-196th Street SW interchange project, was to build a pedestrian bridge over I-5. But in 2004, bids came in higher than expected, so the City Council asked staff to come up with a less expensive plan.
The new version would save about $700,000, Mach said.
The sidewalk on the south side of the 196th Street SW bridge would be removed, the walkway on the north side would be widened to 10 feet, and the lanes would be narrowed slightly, Mach said. People walking on the south side of 196th will have to cross over at 36th Avenue SW or Poplar Way, he added.
A public open house on the project is planned for late winter or early spring.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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