UPDATED May 24

By Frances Fedoriska

The westbound US 2 Hewitt Avenue trestle in Snohomish County will be closed the weekend of June 2-3 – assuming we get good weather – and to avoid extensive backups and delays, we need drivers to try something new. No, we don't mean whipping up a new dinner recipe or checking out a new museum exhibit. We mean trying a new route, a new carpool, a new start time, even make new weekend plans (if feasible) to avoid heading west during this closure.

Again, if your plans included the westbound US 2 trestle between 7 p.m. Friday, June 1 and 4 a.m. Monday, June 4, start working on an alternate plan.

The westbound US 2 trestle connecting Lake Stevens and Snohomish with Everett will have six full weekend closures as part of a major repaving project.

But why?
We're repaving three miles of westbound US 2 from Bickford Ave. to I-5. This section hasn't been repaved since 2002 and will require six full weekend closures of the westbound trestle.

Weekend traffic by the numbers
On the average non-holiday weekend in the spring and summer, roughly 2,600 westbound drivers take US 2 between the SR 204 interchange and Everett every hour. The delays are usually minimal on these weekends because the two-lane highway can handle the traffic.

But that's a lot of traffic that will be using other routes during the closure on roads not designed for that many vehicles. There will be a detour using 20th Street SE, but at one lane, it doesn't have the capacity to efficiently move every traveler displaced during this US 2 closure.

During the weekend closure of westbound US 2, we will reverse 20th Street Southeast to be westbound only. It will carry drivers up the ramp to the far western end of the US 2 Hewitt Avenue trestle, just before the I-5 interchange.

We need help to keep traffic moving
If you need to travel westbound to Everett during that weekend, consider your options:

• Carpool
• Move discretionary travel to a non-construction weekend.
• Travel westbound between Lake Stevens and Everett during non-peak hours (before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.).
• Stay longer at your destination to avoid traveling during peak hours.
• Research alternative routes before the 20th Street SE detour. Get creative!

Thanks in advance
We know that anytime we close roadways it presents a significant challenge to drivers and we appreciate your efforts during these weekend closures. Doing this extensive preservation work will reduce the need for future emergency repairs that add time to already long commutes in Snohomish County. We could also use your help in spreading the word. If you know someone who makes this trip, please let them know!

How to get more information

• Our website will have closure and lane reduction updates.
• Get weekly email updates on Snohomish County projects.
• Our Twitter account will have info about traffic.
• Download our mobile app for traffic maps and other news and updates.