Crews open new alignments of Airport Way and Springhetti Road near SR 9 south of Snohomish
Published on Thu, Jul 23, 2009 by Meghan Soptich Pembroke, WSDOT Communications,Read More County & State
SNOHOMISH – On Friday morning, drivers south of Snohomish will wake up to new versions of two familiar roadways. At 5 a.m. crews will open new alignments of Airport Way and Springhetti Road and a new intersection east of the highway. The roadways are part of a $53.4 million project funded by the 2003 and 2005 gas taxes to add capacity and improve traffic flow on State Route 9 between SR 96 and Marsh Road
“We know the commuters and truck drivers who regularly use SR 9 are looking forward to seeing less congestion and faster travel times along the corridor,” said John Chi, project engineer. “Realigning these roadways gives us the room we need to finish widening the highway.”
Crews began widening SR 9 south of Snohomish in March 2008 to help improve safety and relieve congestion on the increasingly-busy corridor. This important project milestone means that crews are on track to open two new lanes on SR 9 to traffic this fall.
“This is a fast-growing area of Snohomish County, and about 20,000 drivers use this stretch of SR 9 each day,” said Chi. “Adding a lane in each direction will provide additional capacity and help improve traffic flow and safety on this important highway.”
Crews relocated the Marsh Road/Airport Way/Springhetti Road intersection to the east to provide space for widening the SR 9/Marsh Road intersection. They also built new sections of roadway to connect the rebuilt intersection with the existing alignments of Airport Way and Springhetti Road. Once traffic has been shifted to the new alignments, crews will tear down the old roadways and replant the area.
With the new alignments now open to drivers, crews will focus on finishing widening work on SR 9 and at the intersections at Marsh Road and Broadway Avenue. In addition to widening the intersections, crews installed new traffic signals to accommodate the additional lanes. If weather permits, WSDOT plans to open the new lanes to traffic by October.
Crews expect to complete construction by December 2009. For more information, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR9/176thtoMarsh.
“We know the commuters and truck drivers who regularly use SR 9 are looking forward to seeing less congestion and faster travel times along the corridor,” said John Chi, project engineer. “Realigning these roadways gives us the room we need to finish widening the highway.”
Crews began widening SR 9 south of Snohomish in March 2008 to help improve safety and relieve congestion on the increasingly-busy corridor. This important project milestone means that crews are on track to open two new lanes on SR 9 to traffic this fall.
“This is a fast-growing area of Snohomish County, and about 20,000 drivers use this stretch of SR 9 each day,” said Chi. “Adding a lane in each direction will provide additional capacity and help improve traffic flow and safety on this important highway.”
Crews relocated the Marsh Road/Airport Way/Springhetti Road intersection to the east to provide space for widening the SR 9/Marsh Road intersection. They also built new sections of roadway to connect the rebuilt intersection with the existing alignments of Airport Way and Springhetti Road. Once traffic has been shifted to the new alignments, crews will tear down the old roadways and replant the area.
With the new alignments now open to drivers, crews will focus on finishing widening work on SR 9 and at the intersections at Marsh Road and Broadway Avenue. In addition to widening the intersections, crews installed new traffic signals to accommodate the additional lanes. If weather permits, WSDOT plans to open the new lanes to traffic by October.
Crews expect to complete construction by December 2009. For more information, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR9/176thtoMarsh.
