Published October 2003

Construction to intensify
at county campus

By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer

Come early, and be prepared to walk.

October will be a busy month as work continues on the $170 million redevelopment of the Snohomish County government campus in the two blocks between Oakes and Wetmore avenues in Everett.

Demolition of the county’s parking garage on Oakes will start in mid-October and is expected to take about five weeks, said Connie Lewis, spokeswoman for the campus project. Excavation for the Rockefeller Avenue ramp into the new underground parking garage will also begin in October.

And renovations to the county courthouse are well under way. In September, construction crews started putting equipment in place for the project, and more equipment, including scaffolding, will be brought to the courthouse after renovation work escalates in the second week in October.

Beyond the underground parking garage and courthouse remodel, the campus redevelopment project includes an $86.5 million expansion of the county jail and a public plaza.

The courthouse remodel will cost $5.7 million, and demolition and asbestos abatement on the first floor of the building is scheduled for Oct. 17. Four floors on the five-story building will be remodeled, and the project is expected to take about 20 months.

Delivery and pickup access to the county buildings will be moved to a temporary loading dock at the Wetmore side of the courthouse. Delivery trucks and other vehicles that have been using the pullout at Rockefeller and Pacific will not be able to use that area once the excavation for the Rockefeller ramp begins.

Excavation for the Rockefeller ramp is scheduled to begin Oct. 15. Combined with the other work on campus, visitors should expect to see a lot of construction activity near the courthouse.

“Come early if you have an appointment at the county to find parking,” Lewis said.

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