Story and photos by Doug Petrowski

While the original plan was to have the repaving and reconfiguration of 212th Street Southwest between 44th and 52nd Avenues West completed by the end of June, Mountlake Terrace officials now report that the work will stretch into July.

“The project is in its final stages,” said Will Van Ry, Mountlake Terrace Engineering Department Director on Thursday. “The work will leak into July a week or two.”

The good news is that with the street’s repaving now done, “the detours are over,” Van Ry said. Lane closures may continue as crews fill in around grates and manhole covers, signage is erected and roadway striping and lines are applied.

There is also some work left to do on configuring the traffic signal at 212th Street Southwest and 52nd Avenue West.

Finishing the project is still somewhat dependent on another factor out of the workers’ control. “We just need the weather to cooperate,” Van Ry said.

The city has received some complaints about the street work. “Some didn’t like the inconvenience,” Van Ry said. “For going east or west, there’s really not a good road network in that part of town.”

But Van Ry added that for the most part, local drivers have shown patience with the construction. “The people in the city are generally very understanding,” he said.

The 212th Street Southwest project is a joint venture of Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. Once completed, the arterial will have one lane of vehicle traffic each direction, designated bicycle lanes both directions along the curbs, and a single left-turn lane down the center. Funding for the project come from both cities and a grant from the Federal Highway Administration.