First highway stimulus project in the county

BY POLLY KEARY, EDITOR

Work began last week on a $1.4 million project to completely repave U.S. Highway 2 from Monroe to Sultan.

The project is the first Snohomish County highway project to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal stimulus package meant to pump money into the economy and create jobs.

Much of the money being spent is staying local. The contractor handling the paving is Monroe’s Lakeside Industries, and the gravel for the project will come from local aggregate company Cadman, which will bring the gravel from its Gold Bar quarry.

Some of the subcontractors will come from somewhat further afield, though, said Dave Lindberg, project manager for the Washington Department of Transportation. One subcontractor will come form Auburn, and other from Marysville, and a third from the Bellingham area. In all, the project is expected to support 20 jobs.

Part of the reason that the highway project is underway sooner than most stimulus package projects is that Snohomish County was among the first in the nation to submit a list of shovel-ready projects to the federal government.

The paving project was requested because much of the road surface was badly worn, and a recent paving job in the area was performed poorly and had required numerous patches.

The paving will require some traffic slowdowns at nights, but should be completed by summer’s end.

“We think we’ll have it wrapped up by the fair,” said Lindbergh. “As long as we get good weather.”

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