WSDOT outlines $7 million repaint, traffic controls for SR 536 bridge; says active-transportation fixes not funded

Mount Vernon City Council members and residents heard a Washington State Department of Transportation update on state highway preservation on June 11 that centered on a proposed $7,000,000 repainting project for the State Route 536 (Skagit River) bridge and the limits on adding pedestrian and bicycle improvements during the work.

WSDOT assistant regional administrator Chris DiMaggio told the council the bridge painter project is intended to protect the bridge’s structural integrity, remove old (including lead) paint under containment, and extend the life of a 1953 structure that carries about 18,000 vehicles a day. He said the work will likely take about 12 months and that the containment needed for safe debris removal limits traffic width during construction.

The update mattered to residents and business groups because containment and lane-width restrictions affect traffic flow in downtown Mount Vernon and could disrupt school and business access. “This $7,000,000 project is aimed at expanding the life of the vital bridge,” DiMaggio said. He added that removal of lead paint requires a secondary enclosed structure to collect debris, and that containment “limits the width and thus the traffic that we can put on the bridge.”

Several residents and stakeholders urged the city and WSDOT to pursue pedestrian safety improvements during repainting. Adair (full name not provided), who identified herself as a member of the Mount Vernon Planning Commission during public comment, outlined design options she thinks are feasible within the existing bridge footprint and urged the council to push WSDOT to adopt a “sensible baseline plan” now rather than wait for an independent pedestrian span. “We can’t afford to sit on this,” she said, describing frequent near-miss pedestrian behavior on the narrow sidewalk and offering to help with design work.

Ellen Gamsen, executive director of the Mount Vernon Downtown Association, told the council she was “unable to articulate any clearer” than Adair the case for using the repainting opportunity to improve pedestrian safety and warned the council the project will have “a significant impact on the downtown business district” during construction. She asked for frequent communication and mitigation planning for businesses.

DiMaggio said WSDOT and city staff studied multiple options for active-transportation improvements but found none “feasible” within the current project funding and structural, navigational and historic constraints. He told the council the legislature required WSDOT to consider active-transportation options but provided no additional money for structural analysis or construction of attachments. “We looked at so many options and so many different things that had potential. ... None were deemed feasible,” he said, noting concerns about the bridge’s ability to open as a navigable structure, inspection needs, weight distribution and historic-preservation review.

Because WSDOT’s traffic modeling showed severe downtown backups for a full-time two-way restriction during the work, DiMaggio said the agency now proposes primarily one-way traffic through the project with two one-hour periods (morning and evening school-period windows) allowing two-way flow for Washington Elementary school drop-off and pick-up on school days. He said the westbound-only/10-mile detour plan initially modeled would be worse for downtown traffic, and the revised plan attempts to balance operations with school needs.

Council members pressed WSDOT for short-term fixes on nearby State Route 538 (College Way), which DiMaggio said is programmed for preservation and scheduled for construction in 2029; he said maintenance crews will monitor and address acute pavement failures in the interim when resources allow. DiMaggio described statewide preservation funding needs — roughly $1.5 billion per year is estimated; the current legislative allocation is about $450 million per year — and emphasized competition statewide for limited preservation dollars.

DiMaggio also briefed the council on the FISH program and other regional projects, telling the council WSDOT has corrected about 176 fish-passage barriers (roughly 55% of identified barriers) and is prioritizing design work on additional projects until further funding is available.

Council members repeatedly urged WSDOT to pursue a scoped engineering study to test attachments or removable extensions that might enable a safer pedestrian route on the existing bridge. DiMaggio and Public Works Director Chris Phillips agreed to collaborate on a scope and to return with further information about what a feasibility study would require, although DiMaggio cautioned the agency currently lacks budget authority to design or construct active-transportation enhancements.

The council did not take a formal vote on the bridge or on funding; WSDOT’s immediate action will be to advertise the repainting contract (DiMaggio reported advertisement is planned for September) and continue coordination with city staff on traffic-control and communication plans.

For downtown businesses and residents, the next steps are coordination meetings between WSDOT and city staff on mitigation and communication and a more detailed scope for any independent feasibility analysis of pedestrian attachments that the council has requested.