I-5 and SR-529 Road Work Continues in May

More road work expected in Everett in May on both I-5 and State Route 529. Road crews will attempt to make it as easy as possible for travelers by keeping the closures on separate days.

Both projects involve significant northbound lane reductions.

The I-5 Marine View Drive project between Everett and Marysville reduces the northbound freeway to one lane. Weather permitting, that work will occur on the weekend of May 3-6. If weather is bad, it will be postponed until May 10-13.

The SR 529 project reduces the northbound bridge to a single lane starting Monday, May 6, lasting about three weeks before the full northbound SR 529 Snohomish River Bridge closure starts Tuesday, May 28. That full closure will last about 4 months.

If weather doesn’t cooperate for the I-5 project on May 3rd, then both I-5 and SR 529 will be reduced to one lane at the same time on May 10th to 13th.

What is this Road Work For? 

Adding an HOV lane and new freeway ramps. The work on I-5 is a major project and will:

• Extend the HOV lane from downtown Everett to SR 529.
• Complete the I-5/SR 529 interchange by adding a northbound I-5 off-ramp to SR 529 and a southbound on-ramp from SR 529 to southbound I-5.
• Build a permanent median barrier between the northbound and southbound lanes.

The new median barrier is in place; the HOV extension and ramps will open in summer or fall 2025. In addition to extending the HOV lane from Everett to SR 529, this project will add an off-ramp from northbound I-5 to SR 529 and an on-ramp from SR 529 to southbound I-5.

While northbound I-5 is reduced to one lane for a weekend, the contractor will replace asphalt pavement with concrete in a section between 41st Street and the Marine View Drive. It takes all weekend to remove the asphalt, then pour the concrete and let it harden.

Preserving a 97-year-old bridge

The northbound SR 529 Snohomish River Bridge was built in 1927. It’s past time to repaint the bridge as well as make steel and mechanical repairs. Some of the work can be done with one northbound lane open, so southbound isn’t affected.

But once the paint containment system is in place they can’t move the bridge to raise or lower it. However, the Coast Guard requires that section of the Snohomish River remains open to large boats, so they need to keep the bridge raised for the entire four months of this preservation work.