Busy Filbert Road to grow to 5 lanes

LYNNWOOD — Filbert Road winds past fields, forested areas, homes and even a cemetery.

While the road east of Lynnwood is in an area that can appear quiet, often it is anything but. Filbert carries 2,000 or more cars each hour during peak traffic periods.

At its west end, the road connects to strip-mall-lined 196th Street Southwest — the heart of the Lynnwood commercial district and a main arterial.

At its east end, Filbert, also designated as Highway 524, runs into the busy Bothell-Everett Highway. Continuing east, Highway 524 connects to the Maltby area and traffic-jammed highways 9 and 522.

Over about the next seven years, however, Filbert's character is expected to change dramatically as plans move ahead to make the two-lane roadway into what will be mostly a five-lane route, with two lanes in each direction and a center turn lane.

The changes are coming with a price that illustrates the difficulties involved in making urban transportation improvements: the 3-1/2 miles of work likely would cost about $60 million.

"It's a big project. It's a very expensive one," said Mary Hurner, Snohomish County's public-involvement coordinator.

Planning for the Filbert improvements began several years ago, and a preliminary environmental analysis was done in 1997.

A series of public meetings on the project has been held. A formal public hearing is expected to be held next year.

The project has been complicated by the involvement of four jurisdictions: Snohomish County, the state Department of Transportation, the city of Bothell and the federal government.

Part of the work depends on the passage of Referendum 51 in Tuesday's election. The measure, which would raise the state gas tax by 9 cents a gallon, would generate $7.8 billion for transportation projects statewide. It would provide about $16 million for the Filbert project, said Bruce DuVall, the project supervisor for Snohomish County.

Even if the referendum fails, work on the project will continue, although other money sources will have to be sought. The design and planning process is expected to take about two years.

The work is to be done in two phases, with the first consisting of construction at each end of the route. The work would include widening from 24th Avenue West to Larch Way at the western end and from the Bothell-Everett Highway to Royal Ann Road at the eastern end.

That phase is expected to cost about $24 million and could begin in 2005.

The second phase would connect a 1-1/2-mile section in the middle and is expected to cost about $26 million. That work would begin in 2007 and be finished in about 2009.

When adjusted for inflation, the total project cost is expected to be about $60 million by 2009, DuVall said.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com.