EVERETT — The oft-congested, primary route linking Everett to eastern Snohomish County could be replaced by a six-lane structure over the Snohomish River estuary, according to just unveiled plans to build a new U.S. 2 Trestle by the Washington State Dept. of Transportation.
The recommended replacement plan of the Trestle connecting I-5 in Everett to Lake Stevens and Snohomish east of the river would feature two general purposes lanes, a dedicated HOV/transit bus lane and full lane-width shoulders on both sides to replace the existing two lanes in each direction. Full width shoulders on both sides would provide space for disabled cars to pull over to keep traffic lanes flowing and space for emergency vehicles to more quickly access crashes. The current Trestle’s Achilles heel now is no room on the shoulder for crashed or disabled vehicles to shift to the side so other drivers can go around.
WSDOT officials report that public comment will be opened in December for the recommended Trestle replacement, the public comment will end in January and final decisions will be made in conjuncture with the Legislative session in early 2027 to formulate the next step in the arduous process of bolstering reliable access across the Trestle.
Cameron Kukes, Interim US 2 Program manager and Assistant Regional Administrator at WSDOT unveiled the recommended Trestle replacement to a State Senate Transportation work session conducted at Everett Station, within visual distance of the existing bottleneck regular Snohomish County commuters endure.
To see the WSDOT slide deck of the proposed U.S. 2 Trestle replacement, click here. The Trestle replacement planning and construction is estimated to take another 6-10 years to complete and a funding source between the federal government, state government and possible private funding or tolling, is currently undecided as well.
The proposed replacement would involve purchasing land to the north of the existing Trestle, commencing construction as the existing Trestle remains in use and then configuring the alignment of off-ramps and over-passes on the Everett end and the Lake Stevens end of the completed structure to eventually open the new Snohomish River crossing.
This is a developing story and will be updated shortly.
