MILL CREEK — Road work is expected to close a section of 35th Avenue for several months, beginning at 5 a.m. Monday.
Construction is supposed to fix a dip between 141st and 144th streets. Flooding on the road has caused multiple closures within the past few years. It will likely reopen by December. The project is expected to cost about $5.3 million.
Detour signs will guide traffic to 132nd Street SE and the Bothell-Everett Highway. The city of Mill Creek discourages drivers from taking side roads, which go through neighborhoods. They should only be used by people who live in those areas, said Joni Kirk, a city spokeswoman.
“We’re asking people to be courteous of their neighbors,” she said.
The county widened 35th Avenue in 2003.
The route was filled with a lightweight material on top of a peat deposit, which has caused the section over Penny Creek to sag. Surrounding wetlands have risen, because of new buildings upstream and beaver activity downstream.
The city expects crews to work between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays, and between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends. About 500 large metal rods, called pin piles, will be driven into the ground, which could cause a significant amount of noise.
In the end, the road will be raised four feet. A final layer of asphalt is expected in spring 2019.
About 15,000 vehicles travel the route each day.
Other road projects in Mill Creek might contribute to delays. Improvements on Seattle Hill Road between 35th Avenue SE and 132nd Street SE are expected to be finished by August.
“I think it’s fair to say there will be an influx of traffic,” Kirk said. “We acknowledge that it’s going to be inconvenient.”
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
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