Project Facts
- First park-and-ride in a freeway median in Washington State
- Provides almost 400 parking spaces
- Will help commuters save up to nine minutes on a round trip between Everett and Seattle
October 2008
*The park and ride officially opened on Sunday, Sept. 21. However, drivers can still expect some overnight closures as crews finish up some last minute work.
- Stay informed with regular e-mail updates on Snohomish County projects.
Overview
WSDOT and Sound Transit will build a park-and-ride facility in the I-5 median just north of 112th Street SE in south Everett. We will also build new HOV on and off-ramps in the I-5 median and widen 112th Street SE. We will build a public access road so that all drivers can access the park-and-ride from 112th Street SE.
Why is WSDOT
working with Sound Transit to build a park-and-ride facility and HOV ramps in the I-5 median in south Everett?
Interstate 5 in south Everett carries about 175,000 vehicles daily. Of those, nearly 20,000 are high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) such as buses, carpools and vanpools. Additionally, about 28,000 vehicles use 112th Street SE near I-5 each day.
There is a growing demand for park-and-ride spaces in south Everett. Buses and other HOVs currently negotiate the congested Highway 526 interchange to reach the Eastmont Park-and-Ride, about a mile north of 112th Street SE. The northbound HOV lane currently ends at the Highway 526 interchange. All of these factors add up to traffic congestion and weaving that creates the potential for collisions.
The End Result
A new park-and-ride lot in the I-5 median just north of 112th Street SE will provide 400 new parking spaces for commuters. We will also build an access road so that all traffic can easily reach the park-and-ride lot from 112th Street SE. Six new bus stops on two platforms in the I-5 median will make bus trips faster and more reliable.
Building new northbound and southbound HOV on and off-ramps in the median and extending the northbound HOV lane to just north of the Highway 526 interchange will allow buses, carpools and vanpools to enter and exit the freeway without merging through three lanes of traffic. (The I-5 Everett Freeway Expansion project will continue the northbound HOV lane from the Highway 526 interchange.)
Widening 112th Street SE over I-5 from two to five lanes will reduce congestion on this busy city street.
Project Benefits
Safety. The new HOV ramps will reduce weaving that can lead to collisions near the I-5 / Highway 526 interchange. The new, wider 112th Street SE bridge will improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. We will also add lighting in the project area to further enhance safety.
Congestion relief. The new freeway station in the I-5 median will take HOVs out of the congested Highway 526 interchange. It will eliminate congestion caused by buses, carpools and vanpools crossing general purpose lanes to enter and exit the freeway. We will also relieve congestion on 112th Street SE by widening this road from two to five lanes.
Environment. New drainage systems will clean freeway runoff. We will landscape around the freeway ramps to help prevent erosion. New retaining walls will protect sensitive areas and we will build a wall along the east side of I-5 at the park-and-ride area to absorb noise that could affect nearby residents.
What is the project timeline?
Spring 2006 - Complete project design and ask contractors to compete to build the project
July 2006 - Awarded $24 million construction contract to the most competitive bidder, Atkinson Construction of Renton
September 2006 - Began construction
Late 2008 - Complete construction and open freeway station to traffic
Public Involvement
Your thoughts and opinions are important to us. Please revisit this page for continuing project status.
Sound Transit has hosted three open houses to provide information and receive comments from the public on this project (in January 2000, August 2004 and November 2005).
If you have questions or comments, please contact us:
Amir Ahmadi, WSDOT Project Engineer
425.225.8700 / Ahmadi@wsdot.wa.gov
Roger Iwata, Sound Transit Community Outreach Specialist
206.689.4904 / iwatar@soundtransit.org
If you would like to be included on Sound Transit's mailing list for project updates, e-mail Sound Transit at mailinglist@soundtransit.org.
Environmental Protection
WSDOT and Sound Transit are committed to protecting the environment. We will upgrade existing drainage facilities and add new detention ponds to clean roadway runoff. We carefully considered the locations of drainage paths and detention ponds so as to preserve the state of the surrounding area as much as possible. We will also plant vegetation to prevent soil around the freeway ramps from washing away, and we will build new retaining walls to protect areas that might be negatively affected by traffic.
Please visit the WSDOT Environmental
Services Web site for more information.
Increasing safety is one of our priorities
The new HOV on and off-ramps in the I-5 median will prevent carpools, vanpools and buses from having to merge through multiple lanes of traffic to exit the freeway or reach the HOV lanes. Eliminating this merge will greatly reduce the potential for collisions.
We will also improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians on the new 112th St. SE bridge over I-5. The new bridge will include five-foot bike lanes in each direction, and six-foot sidewalks on both the north and south sides. We will install signals at the intersection of 112th St. SE and the access road to the new park-and-ride, which will control traffic entering and exiting the park-and-ride.
New lighting throughout the project will improve visibility, also enhancing the safety of the roads in this area.
Will this project impact tribal resources?
At WSDOT we seek to address the concerns of the tribal nations using the process outlined in Section 106 of The National Historic Preservation Act and the WSDOT Tribal Consultation Policy adopted in 2003 by the Transportation Commission as part of the WSDOT Centennial Accord Plan.
We initiated and will continue consultation with the Stillaguamish and Tulalip tribes on this project. This consultation identified no traditional cultural resources in the project area.
Financial Information
This project is funded through the following fund sources:
- Existing Funds - $1,191,800
- Other Agency Funds - $30,897,735
The majority of these funds are provided by Sound Transit ($21,937,460). The city of Everett is contributing $4,445,151, and the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) is contributing $4,515,124.
- Total funding from all sources - $32,089,535
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Project Engineer Amir Ahmadi
WSDOT Project Office
9029 El Capitan Way
Everett, WA 98208-3637
Phone: 425.225.8700
E-mail: Ahmadi@wsdot.wa.gov
or
Meghan Soptich
WSDOT Communications
15700 Dayton Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98133
Phone: 206.440.4704
E-mail: sopticm@wsdot.wa.gov
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