EVERETT, Wash. — Drivers should prepare for delays on the state Route 529 Snohomish River Bridge between Everett and Marysville.
The SR 529 project will reduce the northbound bridge to a single lane starting Wednesday, May 8, lasting about three weeks before the full northbound SR 529 Snohomish River Bridge closure starts Tuesday, May 28. That full closure will last about four months.
“The traffic impacts will be there,” said Amelia Scharrer, project engineer for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). “But hopefully because drivers are getting this notification, they're learning about this system, they'll have a lot of other options. You can travel at a non-peak time; you could try using I-5.”
Scharrer said during the initial northbound lane closure contractors are preparing to rehabilitate the mechanical portion that lifts the bridge and paint it.
“It'll be a left lane, and then it will be a right lane. We'll only have one swap,” said Scharrer. “Then during that time, we will be hanging rigging so that the contractor can paint the bridge safely.”
People heading through the area over the next few weeks will see cables going up and platforms to build a containment system.
“When we paint the bridge, we have to do full containment, we use the sandblasting media medium to get the old paint off,” said Scharrer. “We don't want any of that to touch the water or contaminate the air. So, it's very important that we completely seal the bridge while we're doing that work. “
That system is expected to be in place by May 28. Then the northbound bridge will be closed, causing northbound and southbound traffic to use a lane of the southbound bridge for about four months.
“Once the crossover as we're referring to it is completely done. If you are headed northbound on SR 529, before you reach the bridge, there'll be a crossover media and it will be paved. It will be a smooth transition for you,” said Scharrer. “You'll end up on the southbound bridge. You'll see two-way traffic over the southbound bridge, you'll completely cross the bridge, then once again, there'll be another transition. It'll be paved. We're putting in a bunch of drainage. We're putting in temporary lighting to help make it as safe as possible.”
Scharrer said all the access points that you're used to between the Snohomish and the Union Slough Bridge will still be there for drivers to access any of those points.
According to WSDOT, the northbound side of the SR 529 Snohomish River Bridge was last painted in 1998. As part of that project, the bridge deck was also rehabbed and some of the moveable span parts were repaired.
Scharrer hopes that by staying on top of maintenance, it’ll last another 50 to 60 years.
“It’s important for us to stay on top of these things. Painting it regularly helps prevent rust, which helps keep all the members and the steel in really good shape. Doing all this rehab on the mechanical work makes sure that it goes up and down smoothly and on demand without breaking at any point in time. Our goal is to have an infrastructure system that works well and when we need it to,” said Scharrer.
WSDOT will reopen the northbound lane on the SR 529 Snohomish River Bridge for the weekend to help alleviate potential backups caused by another closure in Everett.
Northbound I-5 will be reduced to one lane from 9 p.m. Friday, May 10, to 6 a.m. Monday, May 13, from Pacific Avenue to the Snohomish River Bridge. The northbound I-5 off-ramps to Pacific Avenue and Marine View Drive and the freeway on-ramps from Everett Avenue and westbound US 2 will be closed. Signed detours will be in place.