Date:
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Contact:
Janice Fahning, WSDOT Project Engineer, (425) 225-8799 (Everett)
Myly Posse, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4700 (Seattle)
SEATTLE – Construction near the UW Bothell/Cascadia Community College campus is moving forward. The Washington State Department of Transportation selected Mowat Construction Co. on Thursday, Jan. 17, to build the SR 522 UW Bothell/Cascadia Community College South Campus Access project. This highly-anticipated project will allow the colleges to expand, over time, from 3,000 to 10,000 full-time students. Preliminary construction on the $50.7 million project could begin as early as April 2008.
“This project is a win-win for everyone,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Janice Fahning. “We will widen and straighten SR 522, which will increase safety and improve traffic flow, and take a lot of traffic off nearby city streets.”
Project features include:
- widening SR 522 just west of I-405
- creating a new signalized entrance to the south end of the campus from SR 522 (Bothell-Woodinville Highway) that is easily accessible to transit
- adding a new southbound lane to the I-405 off-ramp to westbound SR 522
“We are very excited by this announcement,” said UW Bothell Chancellor Kenyon S. Chan. “The new interchange will enable UW Bothell and Cascadia Community College to continue to grow and serve students in the north Puget Sound and the Eastside.”
Cascadia Community College President Dr. William Christopher added, “Thanks to support from state and local leaders, this very important project will make it possible for us to hasten our progress toward increasing access to higher education and expanding program offerings to meet the needs of the students and communities we serve.”
The Washington State Legislature earmarked funding for the project through the 2003 and 2005 gas tax. Funding sources also included higher education funds, and federal funds.
For more information on this project, visit our project Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR522/UW
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