One of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by the City of Marysville, the First Street Bypass, opened for vehicle traffic this afternoon.
“The opening of this new arterial roadway today is a real milestone marking the city’s long-term vision for transportation infrastructure,” Mayor Jon Nehring said in a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The city invested $22 million over several years to plan and build this new roadway to accommodate and connect with the state’s new I-5 freeway interchange at SR 529 expected to open in 2023. Taken together, these projects will offer a convenient new commuter alternative for people who live in south and east Marysville – one that avoids Fourth Street congestion and traffic delays caused by trains on the BNSF railroad tracks.
Over the past year and a half, the city’s contractor Scarsella Brothers widened First Street from two lanes to five between State and Alder, and built a new roadway between Alder and 47th Avenue NE.
A project of this magnitude requires a lot of materials. Here are just a few of them:
- Nearly 15,000 cubic yards of gravel for stone column ground improvements – that’s about 1,440 truckloads;
- 8,500 tons of asphalt paving over 10,000 tons of crushed rock;
- More than 3,500 plants and trees for both aesthetics and storm drainage improvements;
- More than 3 miles of pavement markings; and
- 23 new ADA ramps.
Other project improvements include attractive street lighting and traffic signal upgrades, landscaping and a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path that will open in about two weeks.