Rock blasting work on Highway 522 begins this month MONROE - Rock blasting work along Highway 522 in the Monroe area is expected to begin the week of June 18 and will require closures for up to 150 weekdays.
Both directions of the highway will be closed initially between 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. east of the Snohomish River Bridge during the blasting work and drivers will be detoured onto Highway 9 and U.S. 2.
As the work progresses, drivers can expect full closures during the day and many nighttime closures.
“(The detour) adds about 10 miles to the trip, about 20 minutes,” DOT project manager Janice Fahning told the Tribune previously. “The rock blasting work will take approximately a year — so we’re going to be doing this work for a long time.”
People can prepare for the delays by calling a state Department of Transportation (DOT) dedicated phone line (1-877-832-0303) or by checking the project webpage at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR522/Widen/SnoRiver_US2.
People can sign up for e-mail updates or get a mobile application on their smartphones through the website.
The state Department of Transportation will be removing 300,000 cubic yards of rock from two slopes along the westbound lanes. The work is part of a $160 million widening project that will add one lane in each direction between the Snohomish River Bridge and U.S. 2 in Monroe. The project also adds a roundabout at 164th Street SE, a noise wall near 171st Avenue SE and a median barrier to separate east and westbound lanes.
