August 2008
- Crews are repairing the expansion joints on the old portion of the highway.
- Drivers should be prepared for nighttime closures as crews work on the joints.
- Starting in late August, crews will grind the roadway surface at the bridges to smooth out the drive.
Please follow orange detour signs or use alternate routes to avoid construction areas when possible.
Please plan ahead by visiting our weekly construction update report. As construction crews adjust for conditions, lane and ramp closures may change from day to day.
To help eliminate sudden lane changes and improve a major traffic chokepoint, crews will increase traffic flow and safety on I-5 in Everett by widening the northbound and southbound freeway lanes to include an extra merging lane between 41st and US 2, extend the HOV lanes from Boeing Freeway (SR 526) to US 2 (Hewitt Avenue Trestle) and make several other safety and traffic flow improvements.
Crews will modify the I-5/41st Street interchange by building a new, wider 41st Street bridge, adding and widening ramps - including a new northbound I-5 exit, a new southbound I-5 entrance and installing new signals.
We want to keep traffic moving during construction. Most freeway closures will happen late at night or early in the morning to avoid the heaviest traffic. We will do our best to keep detours simple and make sure directions are clear.
Drivers and residents can call our toll free construction hotline at 1.877.241.0770 to get the most up-to-date project information.
Why is WSDOT
widening and improving I-5 between Highway 526 and US 2 in Everett?
Thousands of vehicles merging on and off I-5 at Broadway, 41st Street, Pacific Avenue, and Highway 2 and those just passing through create heavy traffic congestion on I-5 through the city of Everett. Backups can be severe and increase the chance of accidents.
This project is a step in the right direction to help fix one of our state's most notorious bottlenecks. When we complete construction, additional lanes will make more room for more cars on this busy stretch of I-5. Modifying the I-5/41st Street Interchange will help make transitions from the freeway to city streets safer and will get drivers where they want to go quicker and with less frustration. These and other improvements included in this project will enhance safety, reduce merging, and move traffic more smoothly.
The End Result
Crews will build this $263 million construction project to help unclog a notorious I-5 traffic chokepoint and improve safety through Everett.
Crews will:
- add six miles of northbound carpool lanes from Highway 526 to US 2
- add 4.6 miles of southbound carpool lanes from Marine View Drive to Highway 526
- add a northbound and southbound lane from 41st Street to US 2
- build a new interchange at 41st Street
- widen 18 bridges and build (or replace) 5 bridges
- improve freeway exits and onramps
- add noise walls at certain locations and build six facilities to hold and filter dirty water that runs off the freeway
- modify the closed Broadway Ave. left-hand exit for carpool, vanpools and buses only
- embed traffic loops and sensors in roadbeds to provide data for 17 new traffic cameras and congestion information for our Web site.
- add ramp meters to many Everett on-ramps
Project Benefits
• Safety. WSDOT will increase safety on I-5 by reducing back ups on the highway and ramps, and providing wider shoulders. More lanes on the 41st over crossing will decrease congestion and increase safety, improving access to neighborhoods and businesses.
• Environment. WSDOT will install noise walls where warranted and build water quality facilities for treatment for freeway water run off.
• Congestion relief . The new HOV lanes will reduce congestion for carpools, vanpools, and buses and the extra merging lane and the new Broadway exit and the new interchange at 41st will improve traffic flow and safety for all drivers. To learn more about WSDOT's congestion relief efforts visit the WSDOT Congestion Relief site.
What is the project timeline?
- August 2008 - Project complete
- June 2008 - New HOV ramps from Broadway Ave. to southbound I-5 and northbound I-5 to Broadway open
- Spring 2008 - New south and northbound HOV lanes between Marine View Drive and SR 526 and and extra southbound lane between US 2 and 41st Street open
- July 2007 - Extra northbound lane between 41st Street and US 2 opened to traffic
- Spring 2007 - New 41st Street interchange opened to traffic
- Dec. 2005 - WSDOT adds 41st Street interchange to project
- June 2006 - Broadway flyover ramp opened to traffic
- September 2005 - Construction begins
- 2005 - WSDOT awards design-build contract
- 2004 - Legislature accelerates funding
- 2003 - Legislature fully funds project for 2012 completion
In 2003, the Washington State Legislature fully funded the project for a completion date of 2012. The 2004 legislature accelerated the timeline for this project in its supplemental transportation budget to have it completed in 2009 in advance of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, BC and the production of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.
In 2005 WSDOT competitively selected a single contractor, Atkinson-CH2M Hill, to both design and build it. The design-build team set June 2008 as it's date to have all lanes open to traffic.
We added the I-5/41st Street interchange improvements to this project in Dec. 2005. Folding this work into the existing project was another way to improve safety and traffic flow while saving time and taxpayer money.
Public Involvement
WSDOT has hosted and attended several neighborhood meetings to discuss the project, construction schedule and to talk about issues such as construction noise, noise walls, traffic, safety and landscaping.
If you have questions about the project, please call our public information and community outreach office at 425-225-8760.
Environmental Protection
We are committed to protecting the environment. To minimize our project's effect on the environment we will install noise walls and construct water treatment facilities for freeway rainwater run off. Currently there are six miles of untreated, highway run off. This water likely contains debris and chemicals that may affect environmentally sensitive areas.
New drainage ponds will collect this water and filter it before it is released into area streams and wetlands, improving habitat for salmon and other wildlife.
Crews began constructing the largest storm water collection area, located in Everett's Lowell neighborhood, in January 2006 and opened the aqueduct pedestrian bridge in June 2008.
WSDOT is committed to building our projects in an environmentally responsible way.
Please visit the
WSDOT Environmental
Services Web site for more information.
Increasing safety is one of our priorities
HOV lanes will help ease congestion in Everett, both on I-5 and on city streets near the freeway. By reducing back ups we also reduce the potential for rear-end collisions.
Additional lanes for exiting and entering the freeway will make it safer for drivers who are merging into or out of freeway traffic. We will also construct standard 10-foot shoulders to give motorists an area to pull over in case of a break down or emergency.
The improved 41st Street interchange will hold more traffic. This will improve traffic flow and decrease the risk of collisions.
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.
Section 106 Consultation was initiated with the Tulalip, Snoqualmie, Suquamish, Yakama, Samish, Snohomish, and Kikiallus Tribes in April 2002. Consultation was re-initiated in October 2003 with additional project information letters and follow-up phone calls. The State Historic Preservation Officer concurred with the findings of the Cultural Resource Survey in September 2004. Final versions of the Cultural Resource Survey were sent to the Tribes in November 2004.
Financial Information
This project is funded through the following sources:
- 2005 Gas Tax (Partnership funding) - $42.8 million (41st Street interchange)
- 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel funding) - $214.8 million
- Existing Funds - $5.2 million
- Other Agency Funds - $600,000 (City of Everett)
- Total Funding Available From All Sources - $263.4 million
A portion of the state tax you pay on each gallon of gas goes toward this project and dozens of other specific, high priority transportation projects throughout Washington State. In 2003 and 2005, the Washington State Legislature passed new transportation funding to ensure crucial projects like the I-5 Everett Freeway Expansion, I-5/41st Street improvements and Highway 9 widening can be paid for and built.
The Legislature accelerated funding for the project in its 2004 supplemental transportation budget and WSDOT folded the I-5/41st Street improvements into the I-5 Freeway Expansion project in December 2005 to speed up construction and help drivers more quickly.
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Public Information & Community Outreach
Patricia Michaud
9025 El Capitan Way
Everett, WA 98208
Phone: 425.225.8760 (Everett)
E-mail: michaup@wsdot.wa.gov
Sign up for weekly highway traffic alerts in your area delivered directly to your e-mail in box.
For the 41st Street extension project, please contact Ryan Sass, City of Everett Traffic Engineer, at (425) 257-8942 or Dave Davis, City of Everett Engineer, at (425) 257-8913.
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