By Kris Olsen

Drivers who use State Route 9 through Marysville or Lake Stevens will see the beginnings of two new projects to improve traffic flow and safety.

At the intersection of SR 9 and 32nd Street S.E., our contractor will install new traffic signals this summer. Farther north at the intersection of SR 9 and 84th Street N.E. (Getchell Road), they will begin work on a new roundabout. The contractor started work Monday, May 19.

The intersection of SR 9 and 84th Street N.E. as it appears now

Traffic volumes are growing on SR 9, which is a vital commuter and freight corridor. As traffic volumes have increased, so have collisions and congestion. A roundabout and signals will help keep traffic moving and reduce the risk of collisions. Collisions and congestion often go hand in hand: four to ten minutes of traffic congestion can result from every minute a lane remains blocked.

The intersection of SR 9 and 84th Street N.E. after the roundabout is built

Here’s a closer look at each location and how the improvement will benefit drivers:

SR 9 and 32nd Street S.E. – traffic signals

• The signals will control traffic in both directions of SR 9 and 32nd Street S.E., and include dedicated right- and left-hand turns lanes on SR 9.
• The signals will be programmed to optimize traffic flow during peak periods.
• Drivers at this intersection often have lengthy waits when trying to enter or exit SR 9.
• Collisions can occur when drivers misjudge the speed of oncoming traffic.  From 2006 to 2010, there were 18 collisions at or near 32nd Street S.E. Of those, three were rear-end collisions and four involved drivers entering SR 9 from 32nd.
• An intersection controlled by a traffic signal can reduce the risk of collision and improve traffic flow, particularly for drivers trying to enter or exit the highway.

SR 9 and 84th Street N.E. - roundabout

• The roundabout will be large enough to accommodate trucks and buses.
• A center truck apron or island allows the back wheels of large vehicles to ride up on it to easily negotiate the roundabout.
• Drivers naturally slow in roundabouts. The few collisions that occur in roundabouts are typically minor and cause few injuries because of the low speeds.
• Roundabouts encourage a continuous flow of traffic. They reduce the risk of collisions by approximately 30 percent and the risk of injury collisions by 75 percent.
  • Between 2007 – 2012, there were 43 reported collisions
    • 63 percent were rear end collisions
    • 16 percent were drivers entering SR 9 from 84th
    • 14 percent involved drivers heading in opposite directions
• You can learn more about how roundabouts improve traffic, reduce congestion and collisions and how to drive through one on WSDOT’s roundabout information website.

What should drivers expect during construction?

Most of the work at both locations will occur weeknights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Drivers can expect to see traffic reduced to a single lane on SR 9, 32nd and 84th. Flaggers will help direct traffic through the work zone. There will also be some daytime closures of right turn lanes, although turns will still be permitted.

There will be a full weekend closure of 32nd on the west side of the highway. The date for that isn’t scheduled yet, but it’s necessary to rebuild the approach to SR 9 and create a more level “landing” area for cars. That way, when the new signal is operating, drivers on 32nd won’t be waiting on a steep hill for the light to change.

When will the work be complete?

We anticipate the contractor will complete the work in fall 2014. 

When a vital roadway gets knocked out of service, it's our job to get it back open as quickly as possible for drivers, and emergency responders. Fixing something like a bridge fixed is by no means, a small feat. An average of 15,000 vehicles each day use the northbound lanes of the SR 529 Snohomish River bridge from Everett to Marysville. This hard-working blue-collar bridge has been around for 85 years and took quite a beating this weekend when a driver smacked an SUV into a couple of support beams.

For safety, our inspectors closed the northbound bridge until the damaged support beams could be fixed. These are critical pieces that support the bridge deck. Replacement parts can't be ordered out of a catalogue, we had to custom make them from raw steel.















A team of about 30 worked in shifts around the clock to design, fabricate and install a new diagonal and vertical support beam.

We didn't want to risk further stress on the bridge deck, so we needed to park heavy equipment on the ground and use boom lifts to access the damaged support beams. Replacement parts were up to 30 feet long and weighed as much as 1000 pounds. It's really tough to safely get those pieces in place in the driving rain with high winds.















After about 500 combined hours of work, the northbound SR 529 Snohomish River bridge reopened to traffic at about 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 4. We don't roll the dice on safety. It's pretty amazing how quickly it all came together. In 81 hours, the bridge went from damaged to repaired. We closed it, stabilized it, designed replacement parts, fabricating and installed them - and only disrupting one event commute for drivers.

by guest blogger Bronlea Mishler

As you drive through Marysville on I-5, it might be easy to overlook the little steel bridge just to the east, spanning the Ebey Slough on State Route 529. But if you’re stuck in seemingly never-ending freeway traffic, that little bridge can become a driver’s best friend. Built in 1925, the swing-span bridge across the Ebey Slough gives local drivers the option to avoid I-5 congestion as they travel between Everett and Marysville.

Back in its heyday, however, the span was one of the few options for crossing the Ebey Slough. At the time, the bridge was the pinnacle of then-modern technology. It could pivot open at its center to allow tall boats to pass, then swing closed to allow traffic across. One 11-foot-wide lane in each direction gave drivers ample room, and a three-foot sidewalk gave bicyclists and pedestrians space to cross, too. 

Fast-forward 86 years, and that once-modern bridge now seems narrow – unsuited for today’s wider vehicles – with not enough room for pedestrians and cyclists to pass. And frequent openings for marine vessels can put a serious hitch in drivers’ daily commutes.

Fortunately, a solution is on the way. Last year, crews began work on a replacement Ebey Slough Bridge – this time taller, wider, and built out of sturdy steel girders with a concrete roadway. Standing 13 feet taller than the old bridge, the new span won’t need to open for marine traffic. And with two 12-foot driving lanes in each direction, plus two six-foot sidewalks and two five-foot bike lanes, there’s plenty of room for all types of commuters.

This month marks a major milestone for construction crews as they begin setting 49 girders, each weighing in at approximately 31 tons. It’s more visible work for drivers, too. Most of the work completed since last year has been fairly innocuous: Crews have built temporary work platforms above the slough, drilled deep holes for steel and concrete pilings, and prepared the support structure for the steel girders. Now that the girders are in place, the new bridge is really beginning to take shape – literally. For the first time, the new 680-foot span is beginning to look like a bridge, not just a forest of concrete pillars.

Placing each of the girders – which stand seven feet tall and range in length from 100 to 135 feet – is a time-consuming process. Two cranes pluck a girder from the work platform, carefully guide it into position, and then gently swing it into place atop the concrete pilings. The crews typically set 3 girders per day, and expect to wrap up placement of all the girders by the end of June.

By April 2012, drivers who have patiently (or not-so-patiently) been watching the new bridge take shape will finally get a chance to drive on the span. Crews plan to open the bridge to northbound traffic in April; southbound traffic will have to wait to use the new span until August, as crews wrap up work in those lanes. Once all traffic is on the new bridge, crews will demolish the old steel span.