A long-planned project to improve travel between Everett and Marysville on both I-5 and SR 529 begins Monday. Here’s what you need to know from WSDOT:
The project will add a roundabout at the I-5/SR 529 interchange, a northbound off-ramp from I-5 to SR 529 and an on-ramp from SR 529 to southbound I-5, and a northbound HOV lane between Marine View Drive in Everett and SR 529 in Marysville.
To work out some of the bottlenecks in this area, the Washington State Department of Transportation engineers and crews from contractor Guy F. Atkinson Construction will create a:
- High occupancy vehicle lane on northbound I-5 from the Marine View Drive off-ramp to State Route 529.
- New off-ramp from northbound I-5 to northbound SR 529, with a roundabout for drivers to access either northbound or southbound SR 529.
- New on-ramp to connect southbound SR 529 to southbound I-5.
- Permanent center barrier on I-5 between the Snohomish River Bridge and SR 529.
The first phase of work, scheduled to begin Monday night, March 6, and continue through Thursday, March 9, will grind and repave the northbound I-5 shoulder. During this work, traffic will be reduced to two lanes nightly from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. The southbound shoulders are scheduled to be ground out and patched Monday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 14. The work is weather dependent.
Repaving the shoulders will help maintain three lanes of travel during most of the construction.
Changes coming to I-5
To create a safe work zone to build the permanent barrier in the I-5 median, northbound lanes will shift to the right with installation of a temporary barrier, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, and Thursday, March 17. The southbound lanes are scheduled to shift to the right starting the week of March 20.
To add a fourth northbound lane without widening the roadway and bridges, the current 12-foot lanes will reduce to 11 feet. Both shoulders will be narrower when the project is finished.
Construction of the new ramps and the roundabout at SR 529 will start later this year and finish in fall 2024, when the new HOV lane will be permanently striped and open to traffic.
Improving mobility
The new ramps linking I-5 and SR 529 will give drivers another option to get into and out of Marysville besides SR 528. The project also preserves safe access to SR 529 for pedestrians and bicyclists.
On northbound I-5, lanes are frequently congested on weekdays in Everett, where traffic merges onto the freeway from US 2, Everett Avenue and Marine View Drive. In Marysville, drivers exiting northbound I-5 at SR 528/Fourth Street often encounter backups due to a railroad crossing a couple blocks east of the freeway. Also, drivers merging from northbound SR 529 to northbound I-5 compete for merge space with drivers trying to reach the SR 528/Fourth Street off-ramp.
The project is designed to address several of these issues. This busy stretch of I-5 carries about 61,000 northbound vehicles a day as traffic volumes return to pre-pandemic levels.
People who are traveling can get real-time traffic information on mobile phones with the WSDOT traffic app and by following the WSDOT traffic Twitter feed.
Hyperlinks within the release:
- Northbound Interstate 5 between Everett and Marysville: wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/i-5-nb-marine-view-drive-sr-529-corridor-and-interchange-improvements
- WSDOT traffic app: wa.gov/Inform/mobile.htm
- WSDOT traffic Twitter feed: twitter.com/wsdot_traffic
March 3, 2023
Everett