The county's Public Works department is rolling out a hefty roadwork plan to resurface roughly 73 miles of roads, aiming to smooth your drive and extend the life of the pavement. These improvements are part of an effort to keep up with the wear and tear from both weather and heavy traffic on over 1,600 miles of county-administered roads. This year's projects have been engineered to be as cost-effective as possible.
"The county has developed a multi-year plan to preserve and maintain county roads in the most cost-effective way possible," said Doug McCormick, Snohomish County Engineer and Public Works Deputy Director, in a statement, per Snohomish County. They are paving about five miles of road with asphalt and pre-leveling or chip sealing around 68 miles, tenaciously saving taxpayer dollars while ensuring that both people and goods can continue to move efficiently.
The planned roadwork includes patching up potholes and improving failed patches of pavement, alongside repairing subgrade and drainage issues. Those who travel along the 132nd St SE/134th Pl SE/Cathcart Way corridor or 164th St SW will need to gear up for lane closures and overnight construction work. However, at least one lane will remain open in each direction to keep traffic flowing.
It's not only about smoothing out the surface; wherever necessary, sidewalk ramps are also getting an upgrade to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to a press release from the county, the goal of the Paving Program is to tackle the roads before they hit a point of no return, adding new layers of asphalt to ensure they stay serviceable for another 15-30 years—dependent on how harshly they're treated by nature and traffic.
And it's a busy schedule. The Chip Seal Program hit the ground running with pre-level work in April and the actual chip sealing set to start in July, wrapping up by September's end. Drivers should note that post-chip seal work, there's a temporary speed limit of 20 mph to help the new surface set properly and avoid the risk of loose chips playing foul with your car's bodywork or windshield. Snohomish County promises to come back for a sweep-up session about a week later to clean up and redo road markings, weather permitting. Keep your eyes peeled for changes to the preliminary schedule but plan on a smoother ride in your future.
