MUKILTEO—The 2.66-mile, $1.43 million, Harbour Pointe Boulevard Asphalt Pathway Repair project is underway to repair areas of damaged asphalt sidewalk eliminating possible trip hazards, and provide a safe, level walking surface for foot traffic and ADA accessibility. The project’s scope is along the pedestrian pathways of Harbour Pointe Boulevard between 47th PL W and Cyrus Way.
“I feel that it was past time to do this project,” Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine told the Lynnwood Times. “The Harbour Pointe pathway has garnered many complaints about the root intrusion and uneven walking surface. Going unfixed could open the city up to litigation. The trees will be replaced in the fall. It is like the work we did on Paine Field Boulevard when we replaced the asphalt and the trees a couple of years ago.”
City crews spent the last two summers upgrading the curb ramps to ADA standards and added a crosswalk near Blue Heron Blvd. This year, construction began in June of 2024 with a projected completion by the end of October. During the construction process, both pedestrian detour routes and traffic control will be in place at work zones for public safety, the city says.
“Per our updated schedule dated 7/22/24, we will be Substantially Complete on 9/6/24,” said Matt Nienhuis, Public Works Director for the City of Mukilteo. “Due to weather conditions and Nursery availability, replacement trees will be planted in mid-October and will take 5 working days.”
Director Nienhuis shared that the three different tree types for replanting are Armstrong-Gold (maple), Redpointe (maple) and Cercidiphyllum Japonicum-Gold Leaf.
“The City purposely chose three different varieties to provide a more diverse tree selection to help reduce the risk of disease,” said Director Nienhuis.
This project consists of three (3) primary construction activities:
- Tree removal: Trees creating significant damage to the asphalt pathway will be removed during the trail repair process. The remaining tree stumps will be ground in place to approximately 1-foot below surface grade. The remaining voids will be filled with topsoil and hydroseeded with grass seed to match existing.
- Asphalt repair: Damaged sections of asphalt that have been marked for repair will be removed, loaded into trucks, and hauled from the site. Tree roots will be removed from under these asphalt sections with new base course rock placed and compacted for subgrade stability and leveling. New asphalt surfacing will be placed by machine and compacted to maintain path connectivity.
- Tree Restoration: New trees will be planted to replace the removed trees at a scale of 1:1 along the repair areas. Replacement plantings will take place in the late fall/early winter 2024 to ensure spring root growth in 2025. Replacement trees will be spaced to allow future growth, and root barrier (both curb & trail sides) will be added to protect the trail system as trees mature.
Because cutting the roots associated with trees in the problem asphalt area would weaken the tree’s root system, and in some cases killing the tree, the tree must be removed—not doing so would create a safety hazard, especially during inclement weather.
But all hope is not lost! To facilitate sustainability goals, removed trees were loaded into trucks and disposed of off-site by the contractor for mulching at a later date. Larger cedar and evergreen logs have been retained from removed trees and will be used in future City erosion or riparian stream projects.
Director Nienhuis said that because the walking path is classified as “mulit-use,” asphalt is the preferred surfacing as “it provides a smoother surface for wheeled modes of transportation such as strollers and wheelchairs.”
“Root barrier is being added throughout the City when tree lined paths are being replaced,” said Nienhuis. “When most of the City’s street trees were planted root barrier didn’t exist or was not typically installed. As the street trees have caused issues, the City is repairing the affected paths, replacing trees, and adding root barriers to help prevent future damage.”
The Harbour Pointe Blvd Pathway Repair project is funded with a combination of state and local grants that include a Department of Commerce LEED Grant of $250,260, Snohomish County REET II Grant of $45,000, Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant in the amount of $500,000 along with local funds.
