Upgrades to North Road near Lynnwood High almost done

LYNNWOOD — After two summers of dust and detours, a rebuilt North Road promises a smoother ride ahead.

Construction began in 2014 to add turn lanes, bicycle lanes and sidewalks along the north-south arterial serving Lynnwood High School. Crews are wrapping up work on the 1.8-mile stretch of roadway, about two months earlier than expected.

“This has been in the works for six years,” county public works director Steve Thomsen said. “In the context of a large project like this, that’s pretty good.”

North Road connects 164th Street to Filbert Road. About 9,000 people travel it daily. That number is expected to grow to 12,000 by 2030.

Before work began, the road was two lanes, mostly without sidewalks.

Through the improvements, road engineers sought to smooth out bumps and dips to make it easier to see oncoming traffic. The work also added street lights.

To compensate for disturbing adjacent habitat, the project restored two acres of wetlands in North Creek Park, to the east.

The project cost $19 million. That figure includes design work that began in 2009, environmental studies and buying out parts of 123 parcels for right of way.

Workers paved with 64 million pounds of asphalt, built 200 catch basins and dug three stormwater ponds. There’s also a new underground stormwater vault and thirty-four retaining walls.

Construction, originally estimated at $12.7 million, has come in about $400,000 under budget, county officials said.

Interwest Construction Inc. of Burlington performed the work. Funding came from a mix of federal grants, development fees and the county roads levy. A ribbon- cutting ceremony is scheduled Wednesday afternoon to mark the project’s completion. It’s set for 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Lynnwood High School, 18218 North Road, Bothell. The public is encouraged to attend.

“We want the neighbors in the surrounding area to know the benefits,” said Fay Lim, a county public works spokeswoman. “They’ve been putting up with the construction and the lane closures.”

Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.

North Road ribbon-cutting

Wednesday (July 22), 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Lynnwood High School, 18218 North Road, Bothell.

Public works staff and elected Snohomish County leaders invite neighbors to learn about the completion of North Road improvements.

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