State Route 528 is a state highway in Snohomish County, Washington, located entirely within the city of Marysville. It spans from an interchange with Interstate 5 in downtown Marysville to a junction with SR 9. The highway primarily functions as a commuter route and uses two local streets: 4th Street and 64th Street. The corridor was added to the state system in 1937 as a branch of Primary State Highway 1. During the 1964 state highway renumbering, this branch became SR 528, which had not been completed. The two disconnected sections of the highway were linked by a bridge over Allen Creek that opened in the 1980s.
Route description
SR 528 travels for entirely within the city of Marysville in northern Snohomish County. It begins at a diamond interchange with I-5 and Marine Drive near the city's border with the Tulalip Indian Reservation on the north side of Ebey Slough. The highway runs east into downtown Marysville on 4th Street, crossing over a section of the BNSF Railway near Comeford Park and the city's landmark water tower. SR 528 then passes north of a shopping center and intersects State Avenue, the northernmost section of SR 529 and a former section of U.S. Route 99. SR 529 continues south from Marysville over the Snohomish River delta to Everett and Naval Station Everett. The highway continues east on 4th Street and passes south of Asbery Field before crossing Allen Creek. After crossing the creek, SR 528 veers northeast onto 64th Street Northeast, returning to its due east course at the southeast corner of Jennings Memorial Park. The street passes through residential neighborhoods in eastern Marysville, along with the city's YMCA and a small shopping center at 67th Avenue. SR 528 then ascends a large hill and terminates at a signalized intersection with SR 9 near Lake Cassidy. Community Transit operates two bus routes on the SR 528 corridor: Route 209, which runs on the whole street and connects Marysville to Smokey Point and Lake Stevens; and Route 222, which uses a short section from 67th to 83rd avenues and connects Marysville to the Tulalip Indian Reservation. SR 528 is a suburban arterial with four lanes and continuous sidewalks. It is mainly used by commuter traffic within Marysville and traveling to I-5 and SR 9, becoming congested during rush hours as a result. The Washington State Department of Transportation conducts an annual survey of traffic volumes on state highways measured in terms of average annual daily traffic. Traffic volumes on SR 528 range from a minimum of 14,000 vehicles at SR 9 to a maximum of 33,000 vehicles at the I-5 interchange. The westernmost section of SR 528 between I-5 and SR 528 is designated as a minor route of the National Highway System.
History
Marysville was established in 1878 and platted in 1885, including 4th Street as one of its principal streets. Initially, the only bridge across Allen Creek connected 3rd Street with Sunnyside Boulevard, forming part of the Pacific Highway until the completion of bridges over the Snohomish River in 1927. A trail used by Coast Salish peoples had existed between modern-day Marysville and Lake Stevens by the 19th century. When the Primary and Secondary Highways were created in 1937, the route of SR 528 became the Marysville branch of Primary State Highway 1. The highway ran from PSH 1 in Marysville to Secondary State Highway 1A, although the road was not constructed at the time. PSH 1 MA became SR 528 in 1964 during the 1964 highway renumbering, which replaced the earlier system with new state routes. The highway remained split into two sections by Allen Creek, with 4th Street in downtown Marysville and 64th Street in eastern Marysville. A connection for SR 528 across Allen Creek was planned in the late 1960s by the state government and approved for construction in 1969, but not built until 1984. The state government also improved existing sections of 4th Street in the 1970s and constructed an extension of 64th Street Northeast to reach SR 9 in the 1980s. The I-5 interchange was expanded in the 1970s and rebuilt in 1993 with wider ramps and a new traffic signal, funded by a federal grant. A section of SR 528 from 64th Avenue Northeast to SR 9 was widened to four lanes in 2000. The project cost $4.8 million, largely funded by the state's Transportation Improvement Board, and was dedicated in November. A section of the highway was repaved by the Washington StateDepartment of Transportationin September 2004. The eastern terminus at SR 9 was improved in 2008 through the addition of a traffic light, wider shoulders, and a left-turn lane. A HAWK signal was installed on SR 528 near Asbery Field to provide a pedestrian crossing. Since the 2000s, the Marysville city government has studied various projects that would ease traffic congestion on 4th Street. A new set of ramps are planned to be added to the SR 529 interchange south of Marysville to provide an alternative route for Marysville commuters, along with an extension of 1st Street to 47th Avenue that is scheduled to open in 2022.
