Project news

• A section of SR 9 from 136th Street Southeast to SR 96 is being slightly widened and restriped beginning in spring 2018. Learn more on the interim improvements page.
• The full widening project is funded for design and right-of-way acquisition only. There is no funding for construction.
   

Needs & benefits

SR 9 is an important corridor for both commuter and commercial traffic. Traffic volumes have exceeded the capacity of the highway. Higher traffic volumes also increase the risk of serious cross over and and head-on collisons as drivers try to turn across heavy traffic. Since 2005, we have widened SR 9 from two lanes to four from its southern starting point near Woodinville to 176th Street Southeast. We also widened SR 9 from SR 96/Broadway to Marsh Road. That leaves a 3-mile section in the middle, from 176th Street Southeast to SR 96 where there is only one northbound lane and two southbound lanes.  

When fully funded, this project will complete the widening, add a raised center median to separate oncoming traffic, and provide U-turn locations at signalized intersections and other locations.

• A raised center median and designated U-turn locations reduces the risk of serious collisions by limiting the conflicts that lead to collisions.
• New guardrails, pedestrian crossings, pavement markings and elimination of roadside hazards will bring the highway up to the most current safety standards.
• 8-foot wide shoulders will provide room for cyclists, pedestrians and other non-motorized highway users in addition to providing a refuge space for disabled vehicles. 
• This project will improve traffic capacity and flow by adding an additional northbound lane, and rebuilding and realigning the existing southbound lanes as necessary.
• Widening this section will eliminate the bottleneck that regularly occurs near 176th Street Southeast where the northbound lanes are reduced from two to one.
• Congestion is frequently caused by collisions. Reducing collisions will help ease congestion and improve travel times.