EVERETT, JUNE 16: Building two new ramps to address congestion at the I-5 and US-2 interchange in Everett is expected to shift into a new gear this week. The Everett City Council will vote to approve authorization tomorrow for a city contract with a Seattle firm to begin design and environmental review for an extra on-ramp and off-ramp at the oft congested artery in the heart of Everett.
If approved, it would allow Mayor Cassie Franklin to sign a $942,676.24 contract with Parametrix, Inc for “preparation of environmental documentation, and preliminary engineering designs” for an extra off-ramp lane from northbound I-5 to eastbound US 2 and an extra on-ramp lane from westbound US 2 to southbound I-5. Those two additional ramp lanes have been identified in the City of Everett’s I-5/US 2 Interchange Planning Study which concluded, “will reduce traffic congestion by converting existing single-lane ramps into two-lane ramps within the existing roadway.”
According to the City, Parametrix was selected from the Municipal Research Services (MRSC) roster based on a high level of expertise in interchange improvement projects. Parametrix was founded in 1969 in Sumner, Wash. by Waite Dalrymple and George Capestany as Delta Engineering. By 1974, the firm diversified into six business divisions and now describes itself as a full-service consulting firm with offices across the western United States–including Mukilteo, Wash.
This authorization contract is the next step in an estimated $10,500,000 project to build the additional highway lanes, according to Everett Public Works communications manager, Kathleen Baxter, who says, “The contract with Parametrix is through Dec. 31, 2027. We expect the deliverables (an Access Revision Report or ARR, environmental documentation, preliminary engineering designs) will be completed within this timeframe.”
After the Parametrix engineering design is completed, and “required approvals from WSDOT and Federal Highway Administration” are secured, Baxter says, “it could be two or three years to get to construction of the (new ramp) improvements.”
This highway expansion plan dates back to 2022, says Baxter, who detailed: the City study evaluated improvements at the I-5/US 2 interchange, the highway ramps that connect to the City streets and the City streets around the interchange. The City considered the many ways people travel through this area–be it driving, riding transit, walking or biking–how their travel could be impacted in the future and evaluated improvements for each of those travel modes. The City conducted two significant public outreach campaigns, one in the fall/winter of 2023-23 and the second in the fall/winter of 2023-24. The outreach campaigns included in-person and virtual open houses and close coordination with project stakeholders. This work is detailed in section 8 of the Next Steps of the I-5/US 2 Interchange Planning Study final report.
In 2024, the City of Everett completed the I-5/US 2 Interchange Planning Study that developed and evaluated I-5/US 2 interchange concepts that would support the City’s planned future growth land use goals as well as support transit, active transportation, and freight mobility goals at and around the I-5/US 2 interchange. Recommendations for the interchange and surrounding area were identified as part of that effort, including two (2) interim near-term improvements that could be constructed to provide a more immediate benefit to people travelling through the interchange area.
These interim improvements included:
- adding a second lane to the US 2 westbound to I-5 southbound ramp
- adding a second lane to the I-5 northbound to US 2 eastbound ramp.
Funding for this project derives from The Move Ahead Washington grant totaling $10 million, Baxter says, which was awarded in the 2026 Supplemental Transportation Budget during the latest Legislative session in Olympia. City of Everett is also contributing $500,000 which comes from Fund 119 for Street Improvements.
With inflation costs a concern for the price tag of public works projects during the years-long timeline for completion, Baxter tells EverettPost.com, “The City works hard to preserve and protect project funding and mitigate cost escalations. If project costs were to exceed funding, our response will be determined by several factors, including what stage the difference becomes apparent. The City carefully monitors project costs all throughout the process. In some cases, it could be prudent to seek additional grant funding. In others, value engineering can be employed to maintain budgets by strategically minimizing costs while maintaining function. For this project, the City of Everett is the lead agency, responsible for delivering the project while WSDOT acts as an oversight, funding and technical resource.”