Relief coming for drivers dealing with ‘SnoCo Squeeze’
May 10, 2016, 7:27 AM | Updated: 2:34 pm
Snohomish County drivers shouldn’t have to deal with miles of gridlock between Everett and Marysville anymore.
The Washington State Department of Transportation made one change to the “SnoCo Squeeze” overnight Monday, which should return commutes to normal.
When Highway 529 joins northbound I-5 in Marysville, the ramp becomes a dedicated lane on I-5 for the next mile to the Marysville exit. But in order to replace the expansion joints last week, WSDOT had to eliminate that dedicated lane. That move caused the entire north end to grind to a halt. The surface streets in Everett were jammed. Highway 9 and all roads leading to it were jammed. I-5 was a disaster.
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“We knew that the backups were going to be more extensive than what we typically see through the SnoCo squeeze …,” said Lisa Van Cise with the Washington State Department of Transportation. But did the state know just how bad backups would be? “No.”
Van Cise says there were backups of 12 to 13 miles during the first day of the lane closure. Engineers never thought it would get as bad as it did, crippling the north end drive every afternoon, she says. On Monday night that dedicated lane returnedas expansion joint work moved to the other side of the freeway. So we should return to normal for Tuesday night’s drive home.
“Things might be a little bit slow for that Tuesday afternoon commute as drivers get used to being shifted to the left instead of the right,” Van Cise explains. However, that extra lane to the Marysville exit is back.
And here’s a little silver lining for all of you who were caught up in this disaster last week: the state shaved off a weekend’s worth of work.
Van Cise says road crews will take this weekend off, leaving three open lanes the entire time. The whole project is expected to be finished by June 15.
WSDOT is considering other improvements to the I-5 corridor between Everett and Marysville. That includes shoulder driving during the afternoon commute and potentially a new off-ramp to Marysville at Highway 529.
