Four full closures for SR 529 coming in May
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
Heads up, Marysville and Everett. State Route 529 (SR 529) is not going to be a reliable way to make that connection in May. Four full highway closures are on next month's schedule, starting this weekend.
The northbound Steamboat Slough bridge is 98 years old. The southbound bridge is more than 70 years old. It's time to get inside them and fix the guts.
'They've both been around a long time, and they both need to get this work done to make sure that they can continue to function,' Tom Pearce, a communications specialist with the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), said.
Unlike previous weekend closures, these closures will last four days each, from Friday night through Tuesday night.
'The work that our contractor is doing requires four days,' Pearce said. 'They need to get into the bridge and do some mechanical work on the locking mechanism and make sure that everything else is working fine. It just takes time to complete all that work.'
You might not realize it, but maritime traffic relies on this bridge opening.
'These bridges only open about 30 times a year, but federal law does require us to maintain them,' Pearce said. 'If marine traffic wants to go through, marine traffic actually has the right of way in this area.'
The first two four-day closures begin at 11 p.m. Friday night. This will be a closure of the northbound span. Southbound will remain open. The closure will last until 11 p.m. Tuesday. Northbound drivers will still be able to access Smith Island via 28th Place NE.
'During the first two weekends, people will be able to go northbound onto Smith Island on SR 529, but they'll have to take southbound to leave the island,' Pearce added.
The first two closures will be northbound. This weekend and next weekend. The southbound closures are scheduled for the third and fifth weekends of the month. There will be no work or closures over the Memorial Day weekend.
Approximately 19,000 vehicles use the Steamboat Bridge each day. I-5 is the primary alternate.
Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.
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It's among the historic attractions in the old town of Hội An, Vietnam. Photograph by Peter Forsberg, Alamy Stock Photo Scenic and compact, Hội An is a former colonial trading port on the Thu Bồn River in central Vietnam. Its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, features 1,000 buildings dating from the 15th through 19th centuries, including shophouses and pagodas. Its most photographed spot? A 400-year-old Japanese bridge, built, some believe, to prevent the mythical Japanese monster Namazu from thrashing about and causing earthquakes. The nights here are ambient and lantern-lit; days buzz with cruises on round, Vietnamese basket boats, cooking classes, or visits to one of Hội An's legendary tailors, who can whip up a custom dress or suit in 48 hours. Refuel with a sweet Vietnamese coffee or a banh mi; Hội An is considered a sandwich capital. There are numerous lodging options, including the new Hội An May Village and Hội An Riverland Villa. 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Rottnest Island, Australia Water and wildlife are the big draws at Rottnest Island ('Rotto' to locals), a short ferry ride from Perth, amid the coral reefs and shipwrecks off Australia's western coast. Dozens of beaches offer swimming, snorkeling, sea bikes, and other watery diversions. Glass-bottomed boat trips spotlight marine life such as bottlenose dolphins and 400 species of fish. Rottnest (a mere seven miles by three miles) is small enough to walk in a day, but is best seen via hop-on, hop-off buses that loop around the island, or on an e-bike or Segway. Or explore hidden coves and shorebird-rich wetlands on the Wadjemup Bidi, a 27-mile network of walking trails. Keep an eye out for quokkas, native wallabies with upturned lips that some say are the happiest animal in the world. The Indigenous Whadjuk Noongar people inhabited the island thousands of years ago. Landmarks related to their culture headline in GoCultural's Aboriginal Tours and Experiences. This article was updated on June 6, 2025, but originally published on May 18, 2022.
