Port of Everett, City of Mukilteo Celebrate New Era for Mukilteo’s Waterfront
Mukilteo, Wash. – On April 15, the Port of Everett and the City of Mukilteo celebrated a historic milestone in the history of the Mukilteo Waterfront.
After more than 75 years, legal access to the Mukilteo Tank Farm, located east of the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal, has been restored to the public. The access is made possible by the Port acquiring the tank farm from the U.S. Air Force, and investing more than $2 million into a new access road (First Street) from the Mt. Baker Avenue grade crossing to the beach.
“I’m excited to once again welcome Mukilteo residents and visitors to Edgewater Beach- those who remember enjoying the quiet sandy beach in their childhood, as well as those who will discover it for the first time now,” Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson said. “I am thankful to the Port for their investment in Mukilteo, reconnecting our community to our waterfront.”
The new roadway features two 11-foot lanes and a 10-foot wide shared-use pathway that will promote public access to Edgewater Beach and Mount Baker Terminal, a pier that transports aircraft parts for Boeing. The project also includes roadway/beach landscaping improvements and utility work, including the installation of a new sewer main and waterline.
“I’m so proud to celebrate this historic milestone with the Mukilteo and south Everett community,” Port Commissioner Tom Stiger said. “It’s ironic that it was such a long journey to get ownership of the Tank Farm, but such as short road to restore public access.”
The opening of the new access road synchs well with planned construction for the new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal. In the coming months, Washington State Ferries is expected to start removing the old government pier that supported the tank farm.
The new access also complements the City of Mukilteo’s recently adopted waterfront master plan to guide redevelopment efforts along the entire Mukilteo waterfront. This plan includes the new multimodal ferry terminal, daylighted Japanese Gulch Creek, and new parks and recreation opportunities.
In mid-April, the Port received approval from BNSF to open the Mt. Baker Avenue grade crossing and activate the quiet zone. The Port invested more than $400,000 to create a quiet zone at Mt. Baker Avenue grade crossing. A quiet zone, which allows train engineers the ability to pass through the grade crossing without sounding their horns, is created by installing supplemental safety features at and around the crossing, such as fencing and a double gate crossing system.
The Port has been working with the City of Mukilteo, City of Everett, Washington State Ferries, Sound Transit and Community Transit for more than a decade to secure the 20-acre tank farm for transportation and community access purposes.
April 15, 2015
Everett