More Monroe road construction closures ahead

Road construction season is winding down, but there are a few more closures scheduled for this weekend.

The Washington State Department of Transportation announced drivers need to watch out for ramps and lanes that will be shut down between Monroe and Everett. Westbound closures between State Route 9 and the U.S. Highway 2 and State Route 204 interchange will last from 9 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday.

The striping work will also affect three other routes starting at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Stretches include the westbound 20th Street ramp up to where it meets the westbound highway, and the westbound lane of 20th Street to SR 204 from 9 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday, as well as the eastbound highway ramp to eastbound 20th Street through 6 a.m. Monday. 

The targeted areas are part of a larger project that was supposed to be finished this fall. The plans included repaving the Hewlitt Avenue trestle that gets commuters from the Sky Valley through Snohomish to Everett.

“It’s not the outcome anyone wanted,” according to a WSDOT news release from September. “This week, contractor crews working on our US 2 paving project in Snohomish County decided to postpone the two remaining weekend closures until next spring.”

WSDOT states weather is what delayed the agency.

Scraping off old asphalt is harder to do in cold weather. Winter also means less daylight and more fog, which causes problems when workers install the waterproof matting that keeps rain out of the trestle’s structure, according to the release.

Closures were only supposed to affect commuters for six weekends between May and October, WSDOT reports. Work was postponed for eight weekends in summer.

The project is estimated to cost nearly $12 million once complete. Funding comes from 2003 gas tax revenue. Improvements are expected to make the roads safer and last longer.

“Repaving the highway removes existing cracks, ruts and potholes where pooled water can collect, causing cars to slide,” according to WSDOT. “This water can also freeze, creating pockets of ice on the asphalt. New pavement will also prevent future damage to the roadway.”

About 22,000 cars drive the route every day, according to WSDOT. Lakeside Industries Inc., which is headquartered in Issaquah and has a Monroe office, was awarded the work.

The company has won contracts for a number of recent projects in the area, including paving four miles of State Route 522 between Monroe and Maltby this summer.