U.S. 2 median barrier work between Bickford Avenue and just east of the Highway 9 overpass, as seen here in 2019, was completed in April. The concrete divisions are intended to prevent head-on collisions. (Kevin Clark / Herald file)

U.S. 2 median barrier work between Bickford Avenue and just east of the Highway 9 overpass, as seen here in 2019, was completed in April. The concrete divisions are intended to prevent head-on collisions. (Kevin Clark / Herald file)

U.S. 2 segment’s median barriers in place, bridge work ahead

The dividers are intended to reduce crashes. Pilchuck River bridge joints, meanwhile, will be replaced.

Jolts driving across the Pilchuck River bridge and head-on crashes could become history for a stretch of U.S. 2 between Lake Stevens and Snohomish.

Another $15.6 million state project for highway preservation and safety improvements is to conclude in May with replacement of expansion joints on the Pilchuck River bridge.

And the Washington State Department of Transportation’s $3.1 million project to install concrete median barriers between Bickford Avenue and just east of Highway 9 started last year and wrapped up earlier this month.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Drivers who cross the bridge may have noticed something amiss with the gap onto and off the bridge. The work was intended to be done last summer during the highway’s repaving.

But a mistake in ordering the bridge’s expansion joints required the contractor to ship them back to the New York-based manufacturer, WSDOT project engineer Mark Sawyer said. Then the Midwest storm in late January delayed the joints’ return trip by a couple of weeks. By then, the weather had turned and pushed their replacement, which will require single-lane closures of the bridge, into the last two weekends of May.

Most of those costs are covered by the contractor, but some will be paid by WSDOT.

“Now we’re at a point where putting them back in is quite a lot of work,” Sawyer said. “You put them in a half at a time so you can keep half of the bridge open.”

To install the joints, the bridge must be chipped out, the joints put in and concrete poured around them, then carried into place.

“All of that takes time, so that’s why we’re doing it on a weekend,” Sawyer said. “That’s when we feel like we can best afford having the traveling public have a daytime closure.”

Exposed after repaving last year, the joints are a noticeable dip and rise from the roadway to the bridge and back. People have complained for months.

Those concerns reached Snohomish County Councilman Sam Low’s office, which asked the state about them in early December. WSDOT crews worked on the expansion joints to temporarily address the “bump that was getting many complaints,” according to an email exchange between a WSDOT project engineer and Low’s staff.

The east-west highway mostly has one lane in each direction to carry an estimated 36,000 vehicles per day, according to WSDOT data. That connects people between Everett and Index in Snohomish County and beyond to destinations such as Stevens Pass and Leavenworth.

High speeds and the lack of a physical division between oncoming lanes have led to fatal and serious injury crashes, hence the grim nickname “highway of death.” At least 68 people died on U.S. 2 between Everett and Stevens Pass over 14 years. There were three fatal crashes in 2019 along the highway in Snohomish County, according to state data.

“Obviously it’s a great start,” said Low, who also is a member of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “We’ve seen a lot of fatalities on U.S. 2.”

Along with the barrier, the medians were widened to four feet and six feet, depending on location. Rumble strips, which alert drivers who drift out of their lane, were added to each side, as well.

“This is an important safety issue for our community,” said state Sen. Steve Hobbs, the Senate’s lead transportation budget writer whose legislative district includes the area. “The numerous collisions that have occurred throughout the (U.S.) 2 corridor are unacceptable and preventable. We must continue prioritizing safety as we make decisions regarding our transportation infrastructure, especially this year with transportation funding levels so sparse. This particular project is high on the list of safety needs and I’m glad it’s part of the equation.”

The concrete separation is a welcome sight to John Hernandez, who lives near Everett. He and his wife drive the highway several times a week to take their daughter to gymnastics training in Monroe.

“I love it and just want to see it continue as far as we can,” he said in an email to The Daily Herald.

Eventually, the state could install the barriers to Fryelands Boulevard in Monroe, but there are no working plans. Extending the median barriers from where they end now to just west of Monroe is estimated to cost over $40 million, according to WSDOT. That work is not funded.

The state plans $17 million worth of improvements between Snohomish and Skykomish starting next year. That funding is from the Legislature’s previous transportation package, Connecting Washington. It includes a two-foot median buffer between Monroe and Sultan, bike and pedestrian improvements along the highway in Monroe, a westbound auxiliary lane or peak-use shoulder at Old Owen Road in Sultan, and pedestrian crossings in Gold Bar and Startup. Some of the 16 projects were proposed during a town hall Low held in 2019.

Hernandez suggested lowering speed limits along the highway where there isn’t a median barrier to 45 mph.

“I mean, what would it take, putting up some new signs and making some change management announcements?” he wrote. “These are not expensive barriers.”

Dropping the speed limit is more complicated than posting new signs, Sawyer said. The state evaluates a road’s collision history, speed that most drivers travel and the geography, and educates drivers before and after the speed changes.

“Lowering a speed limit isn’t going to lower the true speed of the road,” Sawyer said. “You can fool yourself by thinking I can lower the speed and just change the signs and that’s all I have to do. That’s not true. Either you have to make the road feel like it should be driven at a lower speed or do a tremendous amount of enforcement, and we just don’t have enough Washington State Patrol officers.”

Low also said more safety improvements are necessary to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions along the highway. Additionally, people in east Snohomish County for years have asked the state to add capacity and make navigating the area easier. Those living in cities and towns along U.S. 2 can feel trapped at home during weekend traffic, which has worried emergency responders, as well.

In addition to planned improvements next year, Hobbs said investing in multimodal projects, HOV lanes and safety programs such as Target Zero make the highways safer, all of which are funded in his proposed $17.8 billion Forward Washington transportation package debated by lawmakers this session.

Have a question? Call 425-339-3037 or email streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your first and last name and city of residence.

Correction: This story was changed to reflect that John Hernandez and his wife have one daughter.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

Contributed photo from Snohomish County Public Works
Snohomish County Public Works contractor crews have begun their summer 2016 paving work on 13 miles of roadway, primarily in the Monroe and Stanwood areas. This photo is an example of paving work from a previous summer. A new layer of asphalt is put down over the old.
Snohomish County plans to resurface about 76 miles of roads this summer

EVERETT – As part of its annual road maintenance and preservation program,… Continue reading

City of Everett Engineer Tom Hood, left, and City of Everett Engineer and Project Manager Dan Enrico, right, talks about the current Edgewater Bridge demolition on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How do you get rid of a bridge? Everett engineers can explain.

Workers began dismantling the old Edgewater Bridge on May 2. The process could take one to two months, city engineers said.

Smoke from the Bolt Creek fire silhouettes a mountain ridge and trees just outside of Index on Sept. 12, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County will host two wildfire-preparedness meetings in May

Meetings will allow community members to learn wildfire mitigation strategies and connect with a variety of local and state agencies.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

Snohomish County 911 Executive Director Kurt Mills talks about the improvements made in the new call center space during a tour of the building on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New 911 center in Everett built to survive disaster

The $67.5 million facility brings all emergency staff under one roof with seismic upgrades, wellness features and space to expand.

Students, educators speak out against Early Learning Center closure

Public commenters criticized Everett Community College for its handling of the closure. The board backed the move, citing the center’s lack of funding.

A ferry passes by as Everett Fire Department, Everett Police and the U.S. Coast Guard conduct a water rescue for a sinking boat in Possession Sound off of Howarth Park on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Searchers on the scene of sunken boat near Howarth Park

A good Samaritan rescued one person from the water. Crews are still searching for three others.

Gov. Bob Ferguson’s signature on the the 1,367 page document outlining the state’s 2025 operating budget. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Ferguson signs budget boosting Washington state spending and taxes

The governor used his veto pen sparingly, to the delight of Democrats and the disappointment of Republicans.

Madison Family Shelter Family Support Specialist Dan Blizard talks about one of the pallet homes on Monday, May 19, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Madison Family Shelter reopens after hiatus

The Pallet shelter village, formerly Faith Family Village, provides housing for up to eight families for 90 days.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.