EVERETT — State officials pushed back the opening date of a new interchange connecting south Marysville to I-5 and a nearby state highway due to supply chain issues.
The Washington State Department of Transportation expects to open a northbound off-ramp leading to First Street and State Avenue in Marysville later in September, department spokesperson Tom Pearce wrote in an email. The southbound off-ramp and a roundabout connecting the interchange is expected to open in early October.
In July, the agency said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that it planned to open the ramps in mid-August. But supply chain delays in getting the materials to build signage for the northbound off-ramp pushed the opening day back, Pearce said.
That signage work is expected to begin later this month, he said. The southbound off-ramp still needs to be paved, and that work is scheduled for the last week of September. Paving work requires dry weather, so the exact opening dates could end up moving depending on rain conditions, Pearce added.
The $123 million interchange improvements have been over 10 years in the making and will allow drivers to access Marysville via I-5 without having to cross railroad tracks, which frequently block traffic throughout the city. In 2020, the state put the interchange project up for a competitive bid, but there were no takers. State legislators then provided another $30 million in 2022 to keep up with inflationary pressure.
Construction began in 2023. Along with the new off-ramps and interchange, the project also added a northbound HOV lane that opened in August 2024.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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