SR 522 - Snohomish River to US 2, Four Lane Widening

In 2012-2014, we will widen more than four miles of SR 522 to four lanes from just west of the Snohomish River Bridge to 179th Avenue SE in Monroe. We will also build four new bridges, including a new bridge across the Snohomish River, add median barrier to separate oncoming traffic, build a roundabout at 164th Street SE, add a noise wall, build a wildlife crossing, and upgrade lighting and signing.
 
As part of a separate project, we built a new direct ramp from eastbound SR 522 to eastbound US 2.

Why is WSDOT widening SR 522 between the Snohomish River and the city of Monroe?
Nearly 28,000 vehicles travel this stretch of SR 522 each day. Drivers experience heavy congestion and delays. Widening the road into a four-lane divided highway will reduce congestion and the likelihood of collisions. There were 100 collisions on this stretch of mainline SR 522 from 2006 to 2010, including three fatal collisions and four serious injury collisions. There were an additional 54 collisions at the SR 522/164th Street/Main Street interchange.

The End Result
SR 522 will be four lanes between the Snohomish River and US 2 in Monroe. Crews will also build four bridges for the new roadway, including a 1/3 mile bridge across the Snohomish River.

Project Benefits
• Safety. We will build a median to separate opposing lanes of traffic, reducing the potential for head-on collisions. Improving traffic flow will also reduce the risk of congestion-related collisions, such as rear-end and sideswipe collisions. There were 39 rear-end collisions on this stretch of SR 522 from 2006 to 2010.

• Congestion relief. We will add capacity on this stretch of SR 522 to improve traffic flow and cut down on drive times. As part of another project, we will also add a new direct ramp from eastbound SR 522 to eastbound US 2 to help relieve congestion at the SR 522/US 2 interchange.

• Environment.  We will build detention ponds to improve water quality. The ponds will collect and filter dirty rain water from the highway before it is released slowly into the area creeks, benefitting salmon and other wildlife. The ponds also reduce the potential for flooding in area creeks.

What is the project timeline?

• August 2006 - We held an open house at Monroe High School to share project plans and gather community feedback.
• May 2008 - We hosted an environmental assessment hearing at Monroe High School.
• November 2008 - The Federal Highway Administration signed a Finding of No Significant Impact.
• March 22, 2011 - Construction kickoff meeting at Monroe High School, 6-8 p.m.
• April 4, 2011 - The project was advertised to contractors.
• May 26, 2011 - We awarded the project contract to Scarsella Brothers, Inc. The contract amount was $73 million.
• July 5, 2011 - We began construction.
• May 1, 2012 - We held a construction update meeting at Monroe High School
• July 30, 2012 - Rock blasting and daytime closures begin
• Late 2014 - We expect to complete construction.

Financial Information

Project signage will reflect the cost of construction engineering, project bid award and sales tax.

Financial Data for PIN 152234E, 152236A

Funding Source Amount ($ in thousands) 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel Funding) $145,247 2005 Gas Tax (TPA) $0 Pre-Existing Funds (PEF) $3,050 Total $148,297

This project is funded through the following fund sources:

• 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel Funding) - $128.6 million
  
• Other Agency Funds - $200,000
  These funds are provided by developer mitigation.
  
• Total Funding Available from all Sources - $128.8 million

How can I get more information?
Contact:
Janice Fahning
Project Engineer
425-225-8725
fahninj@wsdot.wa.gov

or

Kris Olsen
Communications
206-440-4704
olsenk@wsdot.wa.gov

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