EVERETT – Nighttime drivers who use southbound State Route 529 between Marysville and Everett will need to use an alternate route this week.

All lanes of southbound SR 529 will close just north of the Snohomish River Bridge nightly from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday, April 29 to Thursday, May 2. Drivers will exit at Frontage Road and follow a signed detour to enter southbound Interstate 5 near Marysville.

During the closures, construction crews will take the first steps to prepare the bridge for repairs that begin in May. This important infrastructure work is necessary to maintain this vital travel link for drivers and marine traffic.

When the work gets underway next month, the crews will replace several pieces of moveable machinery that raise and lower the southbound bridge drawspan. During annual inspections, bridge engineers found fatigue cracks in the trunnions, which look like large pins. Wheels with cables are attached to the trunnions and rotate around them to open and close the bridge deck. Crews will replace the trunnions, wheels and cables.

More information about this project is available on the WSDOT website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR529/SnohomishBridgeRepair/default.htm.