More work on SR 529 will require extended 24-hour-a-day closures in May

By Tom Pearce

SR 529 between Everett and Marysville is one of the oldest highways in the state. That means it has some old bridges, like at Steamboat Slough. These bridges open to allow marine traffic to pass.

With the arrival of spring, it’s time to complete the scheduled work on the Steamboat Slough bridges. That means extended weekend closures on SR 529 throughout the month of May. Our contractor is planning to close sections of SR 529, 24 hours a day, for four days each non-holiday weekend in May. We will not work on Memorial Day weekend.

Contractor crews will close northbound SR 529 at the Steamboat Slough Bridge 24 hours a day May 2-6 and May 9-13.

Contractor crews will close northbound SR 529 at the Steamboat Slough Bridge 24 hours a day May 2-6 and May 9-13.

Closure schedule

The closures will start with northbound from 11 p.m. Friday, May 2, to 11 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 at the Steamboat Slough Bridge. Our contractor crews from Liberty Maintenance will work on mechanical parts of the structure.

During the other three long weekends, we’ll have additional SR 529 closures from 11 p.m. Friday to 11 p.m. the following Tuesday, including:

• Northbound May 9-13
• Southbound May 16-20 (tentative)
• Southbound May 30-June 2 (tentative)

For these closures, you will have access to Smith Island via the open direction of SR 529.

During these weekends, our contractor will replace bridge mechanical items on the northbound and southbound Steamboat Slough bridges. These are two of just three swing bridges that we maintain. Swing bridges rotate rather than lift to allow marine traffic to pass. While these bridges open only about 30 times a year, federal law requires we keep them working so boats can pass.

In 2023, about 18,800 vehicles used northbound SR 529 daily.

In 2023, about 18,800 vehicles used northbound SR 529 each daily.

When one direction of SR 529 is closed at Steamboat Slough, you will be able to use the other to get to or from Smith Island. Our contractor also will have a shuttle service to take pedestrians, bicyclists and people who use mobility devices around the closure.

I-5/SR 529 interchange update

We expect to open on- and off-ramps for this interchange in late spring or early summer. That will complete the I-5/SR 529 interchange. Our I-5 Marine View Drive to Steamboat Slough project will add an off-ramp from northbound I-5 to SR 529 and an on-ramp from SR 529 to southbound I-5. The project also includes a roundabout for easier access between I-5 and SR 529.

Drivers need to plan ahead

During last summer’s work on the northbound SR 529 Snohomish River Bridge, we reduced traffic to one lane in each direction using the southbound bridge. During this year’s closures, we won’t do that because it would be very inefficient to set it up and remove it four times.

That’s going to mean more traffic in north Everett and in each direction of I-5 as people negotiate their way around the closures. People who travel in this area need to:

• Plan ahead and allow extra travel time.
• If possible, avoid peak traffic hours.
• Consider alternatives such as transit.
• Follow detours and avoid neighborhood streets.

If there were a less intrusive way to do this work, we’d certainly use it. But due to its nature, this work requires multi-day closures. We appreciate your patience as we maintain our state’s highways.