Snohomish County will receive grant funding to enhance road safety and plan future infrastructure. A $914,000 grant will fund a quick-build roundabout at a high-risk intersection, while $250,000 will support a study for an overcrossing at Interstate 5 and the Interurban Trail to reduce traffic and improve pedestrian safety, according to Snohomish County Public Works.
The county’s Public Works Road Safety Program will benefit from these grants, with most funding going to a modular roundabout at 4th Ave W and 132nd St SW. The roundabout will feature Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons to protect pedestrians. Deputy Director Doug McCormick noted that rising project costs and limited budgets make funding safety improvements a challenge.
The roundabout, made primarily from recycled plastics, is intended as a temporary solution for about 15 years until permanent infrastructure is built alongside a planned light rail station. It provides current road safety while future improvements are developed.
The I-5 overcrossing aims to connect gaps on the regional trail between key roads. Funded by the state’s Climate Commitment Act, Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program, a planning study will explore a bicycle and pedestrian tower over the interstate and trail improvements along local roads, linking to a new trail through the Snohomish PUD utility corridor.
Snohomish County’s improvements in the Lynwood area have expanded in recent years. The Interurban Trail project has moved into engineering, while the Butternut and Maple Roads project, intended to ease congestion, is temporarily on hold.
