SR 531 - 43rd Ave NE to 67th Ave NE - Widening

State Route 531/172nd Street Northeast runs through the city of Arlington and into Snohomish County near the Arlington Municipal Airport. Development of residential areas east of this busy freight corridor continues to increase annual traffic volumes. In 2019, 26,000 vehicles used this stretch of highway daily, compared with 18,000 vehicles in 1999. 

When construction begins, we will improve and widen the two-mile stretch of highway between 43rd Avenue Northeast and 67th Avenue Northeast and build roundabouts to manage congestion and improve safety. The roundabouts will provide safer access to the highway from businesses and improved access for people who walk, ride bicycles, use the bus or need ADA accommodations. Additionally, we will construct a new fish passable structure as part of our commitment to improve fish passage and reconnect streams to help keep our waterways healthy.

Roundabouts

Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than traditional stop signs or signalized intersections and reduce injury crashes. They move traffic more quickly and are less expensive to maintain. Learn more about the benefits of roundabouts.

Project challenges

Challenges associated with this project include but are not limited to:

• Purchasing nearly two dozen needed pieces of right-of-way property before construction.
• Relocating numerous utility lines and pipes that run along SR 531.
• Working with the Federal Aviation Administration to create a design that accommodates aviation needs.
• Collaborating with BNSF Railroad on the roundabout near its tracks at 67th Avenue Northeast.
• Making required environmental (storm water, culvert and catch basin) improvements and completing appropriate wetland mitigation.
• Improving an existing culvert that is currently a barrier to fish passage.
• Keeping costs within the non-flexible Connecting Washington funding allocation.
• Keeping businesses accessible and traffic and aviation moving through this corridor during construction.