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Bumps ahead! New carpool lane in Everett causes problems for drivers

Listeners have sent messages to the KIRO Newsradio Traffic Team on X, @KIROtrafficand reported a pavement problem on Interstate 5 (I-5) north near Steamboat Slough that is causing a large bump that will likely be a shock to drivers who hit it.

This is the location of the new HOV lane that opened earlier this week to ease congestion between Everett and Marysville.

Commuters have taken to Marysville's Reddit community to express their concerns about what is happening on the road.

In a thread started by user “Technical-Flan3391” titled “DO NOT drive in the I-5 HOV lane between Everett and Marysville,” this person described the condition of the road, the bump, and the damage the bump allegedly caused.”

“You must feel the force of hitting a curb at 60 mph,” the user wrote. “Bad road construction. Unsafe road conditions. Multiple vehicles stopped with flat tires because of this. My car's lane is now messed up (luckily we have new tires).”

This shoddy work resulted in cars starting to swerve towards the tar patches further down the road due to the force of hitting the huge bump.

User “IcyShoes” confirmed in the thread that he had seen similar problems on this road.

“On the same road, there is a massive bump in the right lane before the Marysville northbound exit,” the post said.

Another user, “jammycat5000,” wrote in the thread that he felt it too.

“Yes, I felt it last night and thought my car was going to break down,” the post reads.

WSDOT confirms the bump and has plans to take care of it

Tom Pearce of the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) told KIRO Newsradio on Friday that they are aware of the bump and that emergency crews are on site to assess the situation. The bump is where the bridge and the new roadway meet, according to Pearce, but contractors have yet to resurface that section.

Until then, the pavement will continue below the bridge surface, which will cause considerable disruption to motorists.

The agency also confirmed the existence of a “bump” in a post on X shortly before 10 a.m. on Friday.

Drivers will need to slow down on that section of the highway throughout the weekend. WSDOT has no plans to repave the area before next week, Pearce said.

Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. You can read his stories here and find him on X. Here.

Steve Coogan is the editor-in-chief of MyNorthwest. Read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on Xor send him an email here.

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