I-5 closure coming to Everett-area this weekend

We’ve come to realize that there is no such thing as a construction season anymore. There is so much work to do that projects have to get done, even in the cold weather.

This is not part of Revive I-5, but it will close part of the freeway anyway.

All northbound lanes of I-5 will be closed for several hours overnight Saturday and Sunday between Marine View Drive in Everett and 529 in Marysville. Workers need to repair the 12th Street NE overpass. That’s the first overpass you go under heading north out of Everett, just passed the Snohomish River. It was damaged in an accident more than a year ago.

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“An excavator was being transported on the back of a truck, and it did strike this overpass,” the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Amy Moreno said. “It caused damage to it, and unfortunately, that damage weakened the bridge to the point where we had to reduce it to one lane, with alternating traffic.” It’s been that way since September 2021,

It’s a small overpass, but it’s vital for several nearby businesses.

“There is a wildlife preserve in that area.  There are some agricultural lands out there, and there is Everett’s wastewater treatment plant out there,” Moreno said.

More than 100 vehicles a day use the overall, and it needs to be fixed.

Workers need to replace a girder in the bridge to repair it. That girder is set to go in this weekend.  The northbound lanes are expected to be closed around 11 p.m., both Saturday and Sunday. The closures should last about five hours each time.

Moreno said it might not seem like a big deal, but shutting down a freeway any time is a big deal. “We always try to find ways to minimize the impact on the traveling public,” Moreno said. “We don’t take that lightly.”

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There will be a signed detour route in place. It will force all northbound drivers off of I-5 at Marine View Drive and send them to the Snohomish River Bridge on Highway 529. You will get back on I-5 in Marysville.

The contractor is watching the weather closely, and Moreno said the conditions need to be okay for the work to go forward. Right now, this project is a go. WSDOT will give me a heads-up if anything changes.

Check out more of Chris’ Chokepoints.

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