LYNNWOOD, Wash. — The wait is almost over for completion on the 196th Street SW construction project in Lynnwood that's been causing traffic headaches for more than two years.
City officials said they are on schedule to be finished this fall.
As residents reach the final months of planting and paving, let's take a look back at how the city got here.
According to forecasts, Lynnwood's population is expected to double by 2035 and a lot of the construction like the new light rail, apartment buildings, and the 196th Street project is setting the city up for that growth.
Right now about 35,000 vehicles drive on 196th Street every day, but improvements will allow for up to 10,000 more vehicles a day, according to Lynnwood city engineer David Mach.
"We're just trying to keep up, there's a lot of people moving to the area," Mach said.
Part of the original goal was to widen the roads and put in a median to force drivers to make U-turns at the stop light.
Mach said this area was prone to accidents with drivers darting out of businesses trying to make left turns.
Similar grids in Shoreline and Sea-Tac have reduced the number of crashes.
Mach said he understands construction can be frustrating, but it's necessary for Lynnwood to be able to accommodate more people using its resources.
"It's being changed from that commercial to what we call mixed-use and now we'll have more apartments and eventually condos and that type of thing, so it's people living here, working here and playing here," Mach said.
Another part of the project includes environmental upgrades to stormwater and retention quality as well as increasing sidewalk space.
As Lynnwood's downtown area develops to become more pedestrian-friendly, aesthetic updates were also made like moving power lines underground.
KING 5 spoke to several businesses who would not say if all the orange cones were hurting their sales, but many complimented the construction workers saying they were doing the best they can.
City officials said they have been working with businesses.
"As soon as we hear something we're immediately reaching out to them to find out what their concerns are," Mach said. "We immediately try to make adjustments. I mean we basically tore up their front yard for the last few years and now we're trying to put it back together."
Mach said funding for a new project to build a bridge over I-5 was just approved. More construction is expected to start next spring.