We want to be good neighbors and environmental stewards and have taken great steps to make sure we leave the environment better and in a more stable condition than before we began this important freeway widening project.
We have assembled a strong project environmental compliance team including a full-time inspector whose sole job is to ensure we are complying with national and state environmental laws. A lot of time and effort has been put in to identifying environmentally sensitive areas and training staff on how to prevent situations that may negatively affect the environment. Crews are also given strict procedures to follow during possible archaeological finds and roadway spills.
Improving water quality; preventing erosion
WSDOT is committed to protecting the environment. No previous project on I-5 has provided any drainage facilities beyond simple storm drains for roadway runoff that discharge to the Snohomish River.
Today's environmental laws stipulate that roadway runoff is an unacceptable source of river and area stream pollution. As part of this project, crews will install more than 60 thousand feet of new drainage pipe that lead to six storm water treatment ponds and wetlands at strategic sites along I-5 in Everett. These facilities will make water cleaner, improve the river's health, provide recreational opportunities and create new space for wildlife. Overall, crews will improve storm water flowing from 280 acres of pavement, medians and slopes in the area.
This water treatment facility collects storm water runoff from three miles of Interstate 5, cleans it then releases it to the Snohomish River.
Protecting wetlands
Crews have already placed nearly two miles of protective fencing to help identify and remind workers and others to steer clear of wetlands. We have 21 wetlands along I-5 within our project right-of-way and two wetlands in the Lowell neighborhood near one of our planned water quality sites. Although we will not be affecting wetlands along I-5, a small section, less than a quarter acre, will be crossed with a drainage flume near Lowell. Because the flume does cross a sensitive area, crews will create extra wetlands to compensate.
Treated storm water will run through a wetland area in the Lowell neighborhood. WSDOT created new wetland areas to compensate for this flume.
Decreasing freeway noise pollution
I-5 at today's traffic volumes is a noisy neighbor, night and day, for hundreds of families. Using federal guidelines, sites for new noise walls have been selected for seven sections of the project. Project noise walls will reduce freeway noise in the residential neighborhoods of Lowell, Pinehurst, Glacier View, Valley View and Riverside long burdened by traffic noise. We will install almost 3.8 miles (20,300 feet) of new noise wall and will do our best to build them early on in the project so neighbors can receive immediate benefits.
Crews installed the noise wall in the Riverside Neighborhood in April 2007. This view is from the west side of the freeway at Summit Park.
Building noise walls is a long process. Because of the large quantity of noise walls needed for this project, just producing the molds and pouring and setting all the noise wall panels could take an entire year. Crews will have to clear brush and trees and stabilize property near the freeway to prepare for noise wall installation. Crews may also have to build an access road to allow heavy equipment access into noise wall construction areas.