With winter around the corner, city workers are putting the touches on major summer construction projects.
Lynnwood commuters can now enjoy a wider road along 44th Avenue W., just north of Interstate 5, as well as new sidewalks and bike lanes along 176th Street SW.
In Mountlake Terrace, residents got a new 2.5 million gallon water tank and several blocks of sidewalks restored with a cost-saving technique.
The city of Lynnwood recently completed a $3.3 million project to widen 44th between 198th and I-5, said public works director Bill Franz. Workers added a new southbound lane from 194th to I-5 and a new northbound lane between 196th and 198th as well as repaving the street.
The effort, which started last spring, was funded by the city’s general fund and a $1.8 million state Transportation Improvement Board grant.
“We are ahead of schedule on the construction,” Franz said. “It was supposed to be finished this fall.”
During the project, workers installed traffic cameras and remote controls so city workers can see the traffic from city hall and change the timing of the traffic signals so traffic will flow quickly. Previously, workers had to go to each intersection to change them. The remote controls can also be programmed to change the timing for any time, like rush hour, to move traffic more smoothly.
Last week, Lynnwood city dignitaries marked the completion of the 176th Street SW. improvement project, from Highway 99 to Olympic View Drive, which features new sidewalks, bicycle lanes, curbs, gutters and an asphalt overlay on the street.
The city received a $1.8 million state Transportation Improvement Board grant to help fund the $2.6 million project. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission, (WTSC) and the city of Lynnwood paid the remainder. The contractor is Marshbank Construction Inc. of Lake Stevens.
The Mountlake Terrace Public Works Department finished building a roughly 2 million gallon water tank at 58th Avenue W. and 220th Street SW., said Mountlake Terrace public works director Larry Waters. The new tank replaces an old half-million-gallon tank, which was removed. A second tank, which holds about 1.8 million gallons, is being cleaned and upgraded. The effort, which also includes work at Jack Long Park, cost about $2.2 million and was completed by the contractor T. Bailey.
The Mountlake Terrace Public Works Department used new techniques to restore sidewalks and city streets in a 10-block area which cost about $90,000, Waters said. That is considerably cheaper because older methods would have repaired just one block for the same amount of money, Waters noted.
The area is located between 40th and 44th avenues and 223rd and 228th streets. The sidewalks had fallen below street level and needed to be raised up and the street needed to be repaved, Waters said.
Cities traditionally would remove the sidewalk, raise up the foundation and build a new sidewalk as well as repave the street.
Instead, the city decided to drill holes in the sidewalk panels and pump grout underneath the sidewalks panels and raise them up to their property height, Water said. The city hired A-Pro Inc. of Issaquah to complete the work for $20,000.
Workers used an asphalt mix, known as slurry seal, to restore the streets within the 10-block area for about $70,000.
“We’re pretty proud of that,” Waters said.
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