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State Route 525 (Washington)
Encyclopedia
State Route 525, commonly abbreviated as SR 525, is a state highway in the U.S. state
of Washington. It extends almost 31 miles (49.9 km) from Lynnwood
in the south to an area near Keystone
in the north, not counting a portion that is carried by the Washington State Ferries
run from Mukilteo
on the mainland to Clinton
on Whidbey Island
. While the route is signed North/South, nearly 10 miles (16.1 km) of the route runs mostly East/West, not counting the ferry portion, which runs in a Northwest/Southeast orientation.
On Whidbey Island, it is known as The Highway. In Lynnwood and Mukilteo it is known as Mukilteo Speedway.
and ramps from its junction with Interstate 5 near Alderwood Mall
in Lynnwood
. From there it travels due north toward an overpass (built in 2000) over an interchange with State Route 99
. From there, 525 becomes a boulevard, Mukilteo Speedway, and travels through the commercial and industrial areas of Mukilteo
, passing the Southern end of Paine Field
's runway 34L. In the North, the boulevard
exits the right-of-way to create Paine Field Boulevard, signed as SR 525 Spur links SR 525 to SR 526, bypassing many signals and other roads while also shortening the route for people traveling to Everett
and Boeing
's Paine Field Plant..
As SR 525 heads Northward from the spur route's terminus, it shrinks to a two-lane city street until it reaches the western terminus of 526. There, a central left-turn lane is added. As 525 makes its way down the embankments of Mukilteo toward the ferry terminal. At Olympic View Middle School, turn lane ends and a ferry holding lane begins in the shoulder. (Travel in the holding lane is not permitted unless a backup has formed). At Goat Trail Road, the ferry holding lane becomes a lane for ferry traffic only. (All vehicles bound for the ferry must use the lane, and one may not enter the lane from that point on.) Traffic for Whidbey Island is funneled into a holding area, while local traffic may continue to the waterfront. (Both the holding area and the local street carry the designation of SR 525).
On the Whidbey Island side, 525 climbs a 9% grade, which sometimes causes new drivers of manual transmission
vehicles to stall. The roadway is unbalanced, with two northbound lanes, a central turn lane, one southbound lane, and one ferry traffic holding lane (the same rules apply as in Mukilteo, and the compulsory entrance is at the intersection with Humphrey Rd.), the grade levels after a short distance to about 2% and the road travels through the community of Clinton
. Just north of Clinton, the highway narrows again to two lanes and becomes a rural highway. It travels westward through the communities of Bayview
and Freeland
before turning north. It then passes through Greenbank
and ends at its junction with State Route 20 near Keystone, just west of which is the ferry dock for Port Townsend
on the Olympic Peninsula
.
SR-525 was once two separate numbered highways prior to the 1964 Highway Renumbering
. On Whidbey Island the route was known as SSH (Secondary State Highway) 1-D, and it extended north to Anacortes
. On the mainland, the route was a portion of SSH 1-I along the Mukilteo Speedway to the ferry, SSH 1-I continued to Everett over Mukilteo Blvd./41st St. After the renumbering, the section of SSR 1I from Mukilteo to Everett became State Route 526. The entire route from SR-99 to Anacortes
(at SR-536) lasted only a few years until the North Cascades Highway was completed in 1973, State Route 20 replaced SR 525 from Anacortes to Keystone and then was carried over the Keystone-Port Townsend ferry route to the Olympic Peninsula
.
In the 1970s many sections of SR-525 were realigned or replaced to create a safer, more direct route on Whidbey Island. The former routing exists as local roads, and as a bike path parallel to some of the route. However, many sections of SR-525 (and other roads realigned during the same period) were completely closed and are now impassible.
Prior to the completion of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405
SSH-1I had its eastern terminus at U.S. Route 99 (aka PSH-1, now SR-99). After I-5 was completed, SR-525 was extended to the freeway via 35th Ave. W and 164th St. S, until 1985, when a freeway route from the terminus of I-405 to SR-99, paralleling 36th Ave. W and 35th Ave. W (which are physically the same road) was completed, however the entrance to this freeway was offset from the terminus of SR-525 by approximately 1/4 mile. The original proposal for the freeway had called for a direct connection over SR-99, however, the traffic volumes on the Mukilteo side of SR-99 were not high enough to warrant the construction. By the mid-90s however, traffic weaving between these segments of the route on SR-99 reached levels that prompted the WSDOT to reexamine the direct connection. In early 2000 the current overpass and interchange facility was constructed, this also gave impetus for an expansion of SR-525 from I-5 to SR-99, which had been a 2-lane, undivided freeway to a 4-lane, divided freeway, and for expansions from SR-99 to Paine Field Boulevard (SR-525 Spur), replacing the former two lane roadway with a 4 lane facility with travel directions separated by a barrier median.
near Paine Field
.
Paine Field Boulevard / SR 525 Spur begins at a Y-Intersection with SR 525 just outside of the residential areas of Mukilteo, Washington
. It then travels north about 1.2 miles (2 km) to its terminus at SR 526. During its entire length, there are no intersections, save for the termini, and the speed limit is set at 45 miles per hour (72 km/h).
Paine Field Boulevard was created in 1999 to facilitate traffic flow to and from Boeing
's Paine Field manufacturing facility by ensuring that it no longer interferes with ferry
traffic on SR 525 bound for Whidbey Island
. Also, many people working at Paine Field live in the Mukilteo neighborhood of Harbour Pointe, and this new route allows for more direct travel between work and home. Boeing also has an engineering facility in Harbour Pointe, so the logic of a more direct route for the engineers to travel to the plant becomes apparent.
State Route 525 Spur is 0.86 miles (1.4 km) long.
, which resulted in the creation of the Langley Loop, a state sponsored, county and city maintained route. The route extends along Langley Rd. and Bayview Rd./Brooks Hill Rd. to Langley, then over various city streets. Signs have been produced, and will be installed in the fall of 2011.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington. It extends almost 31 miles (49.9 km) from Lynnwood
Lynnwood, Washington
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,836 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest in Snohomish County and twenty-ninth largest in Washington State. The city is a mix of urban, suburban, small city, crossroads and bedroom community to many...
in the south to an area near Keystone
Keystone, Island County, Washington
Keystone is a small unincorporated community on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, in the northwestern United States. It is near the Keystone Ferry Landing, a dock for the Washington State Ferries route to Port Townsend that provides a maritime link for State Route 20 across Admiralty Inlet...
in the north, not counting a portion that is carried by the Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
run from Mukilteo
Mukilteo, Washington
Mukilteo , which means "good camping ground", is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,254 at the 2010 census. It is on the shore of the Puget Sound, and is the site of a Washington State Ferries terminal linking it to Clinton, on Whidbey Island.Mukilteo is...
on the mainland to Clinton
Clinton, Washington
Clinton is a community and census-designated place located on southern Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, United States. The town was named after Clinton, Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the village was 928. However, the post office serves at least 2,500 people.Clinton is the western...
on Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
. While the route is signed North/South, nearly 10 miles (16.1 km) of the route runs mostly East/West, not counting the ferry portion, which runs in a Northwest/Southeast orientation.
On Whidbey Island, it is known as The Highway. In Lynnwood and Mukilteo it is known as Mukilteo Speedway.
Route description
SR 525 begins as a freeway, incorporating lanes extending from the northern terminus of Interstate 405Interstate 405 (Washington)
Interstate 405 in Washington is a stretch of freeway that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila...
and ramps from its junction with Interstate 5 near Alderwood Mall
Alderwood Mall
Alderwood, formerly Alderwood Mall, is a regional shopping mall in Lynnwood, Washington. It is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Sears and comprises both a traditional enclosed mall and two open-air areas known as The Village and The Terraces...
in Lynnwood
Lynnwood, Washington
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,836 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest in Snohomish County and twenty-ninth largest in Washington State. The city is a mix of urban, suburban, small city, crossroads and bedroom community to many...
. From there it travels due north toward an overpass (built in 2000) over an interchange with State Route 99
State Route 99 (Washington)
State Route 99, abbreviated SR 99, commonly called Highway 99, is a numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Washington extending just under from Fife in the south to Everett in the north, with a gap in Tukwila.-Southern division:...
. From there, 525 becomes a boulevard, Mukilteo Speedway, and travels through the commercial and industrial areas of Mukilteo
Mukilteo, Washington
Mukilteo , which means "good camping ground", is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,254 at the 2010 census. It is on the shore of the Puget Sound, and is the site of a Washington State Ferries terminal linking it to Clinton, on Whidbey Island.Mukilteo is...
, passing the Southern end of Paine Field
Paine Field
Paine Field, also known as Snohomish County Airport is a public airport located in unincorporated Snohomish County, between Mukilteo and Everett, Washington...
's runway 34L. In the North, the boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
exits the right-of-way to create Paine Field Boulevard, signed as SR 525 Spur links SR 525 to SR 526, bypassing many signals and other roads while also shortening the route for people traveling to Everett
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
and Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
's Paine Field Plant..
As SR 525 heads Northward from the spur route's terminus, it shrinks to a two-lane city street until it reaches the western terminus of 526. There, a central left-turn lane is added. As 525 makes its way down the embankments of Mukilteo toward the ferry terminal. At Olympic View Middle School, turn lane ends and a ferry holding lane begins in the shoulder. (Travel in the holding lane is not permitted unless a backup has formed). At Goat Trail Road, the ferry holding lane becomes a lane for ferry traffic only. (All vehicles bound for the ferry must use the lane, and one may not enter the lane from that point on.) Traffic for Whidbey Island is funneled into a holding area, while local traffic may continue to the waterfront. (Both the holding area and the local street carry the designation of SR 525).
On the Whidbey Island side, 525 climbs a 9% grade, which sometimes causes new drivers of manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
vehicles to stall. The roadway is unbalanced, with two northbound lanes, a central turn lane, one southbound lane, and one ferry traffic holding lane (the same rules apply as in Mukilteo, and the compulsory entrance is at the intersection with Humphrey Rd.), the grade levels after a short distance to about 2% and the road travels through the community of Clinton
Clinton, Washington
Clinton is a community and census-designated place located on southern Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, United States. The town was named after Clinton, Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the village was 928. However, the post office serves at least 2,500 people.Clinton is the western...
. Just north of Clinton, the highway narrows again to two lanes and becomes a rural highway. It travels westward through the communities of Bayview
Bayview, Washington
Bayview is an unincorporated community centered at the intersection of State Route 525 and Bayview Road on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, United States....
and Freeland
Freeland, Washington
Freeland is a town and census-designated place in Island County, Washington, United States. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 2,035. The town received its name based on its origins as a socialist commune in the early 1900s—. Literally, in the eyes of its founders, the land of...
before turning north. It then passes through Greenbank
Greenbank, Washington
Greenbank is an unincorporated community on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, USA.Greenbank, which was named by Calvin Philips after his homestead in Delaware, has a population around 250...
and ends at its junction with State Route 20 near Keystone, just west of which is the ferry dock for Port Townsend
Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States, approximately north-northwest of Seattle . The population was 9,113 at the 2010 census an increase of 9.3% over the 2000 census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County...
on the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
.
History
1964 state highway renumbering (Washington)
In 1963, a law was passed authorizing a new numbering for sign routes. In 1970 the legislative definitions were changed to use the sign route numbers but renamed state routes...
. On Whidbey Island the route was known as SSH (Secondary State Highway) 1-D, and it extended north to Anacortes
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
. On the mainland, the route was a portion of SSH 1-I along the Mukilteo Speedway to the ferry, SSH 1-I continued to Everett over Mukilteo Blvd./41st St. After the renumbering, the section of SSR 1I from Mukilteo to Everett became State Route 526. The entire route from SR-99 to Anacortes
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
(at SR-536) lasted only a few years until the North Cascades Highway was completed in 1973, State Route 20 replaced SR 525 from Anacortes to Keystone and then was carried over the Keystone-Port Townsend ferry route to the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
.
In the 1970s many sections of SR-525 were realigned or replaced to create a safer, more direct route on Whidbey Island. The former routing exists as local roads, and as a bike path parallel to some of the route. However, many sections of SR-525 (and other roads realigned during the same period) were completely closed and are now impassible.
Prior to the completion of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405
Interstate 405 (Washington)
Interstate 405 in Washington is a stretch of freeway that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila...
SSH-1I had its eastern terminus at U.S. Route 99 (aka PSH-1, now SR-99). After I-5 was completed, SR-525 was extended to the freeway via 35th Ave. W and 164th St. S, until 1985, when a freeway route from the terminus of I-405 to SR-99, paralleling 36th Ave. W and 35th Ave. W (which are physically the same road) was completed, however the entrance to this freeway was offset from the terminus of SR-525 by approximately 1/4 mile. The original proposal for the freeway had called for a direct connection over SR-99, however, the traffic volumes on the Mukilteo side of SR-99 were not high enough to warrant the construction. By the mid-90s however, traffic weaving between these segments of the route on SR-99 reached levels that prompted the WSDOT to reexamine the direct connection. In early 2000 the current overpass and interchange facility was constructed, this also gave impetus for an expansion of SR-525 from I-5 to SR-99, which had been a 2-lane, undivided freeway to a 4-lane, divided freeway, and for expansions from SR-99 to Paine Field Boulevard (SR-525 Spur), replacing the former two lane roadway with a 4 lane facility with travel directions separated by a barrier median.
Major intersections
| County | Location | Mile | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snohomish | 0.00 | Continuation beyond I-5 | ||
| 0.00 | No connection between Southbound I-5 and Northbound 525 nor between Southbound 525 and Northbound I-5 | |||
| 0.62 | Alderwood Mall Parkway | Exit Only, utilizes additional lane that arrived at I-5 Interchange | ||
| 2.74 | Utilize surface streets for North 525 to South 99, South 99 to North 525, and South 525 to North 99 | |||
| North end of freeway | ||||
| Mukilteo | 5.77 | |||
| 6.68 | ||||
| 8.64 | Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry across Puget Sound Puget Sound Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and... |
|||
| Island | ||||
| 30.68 | , Anacortes Ferry, Port Townsend Ferry | |||
Washington State Route 525 Spur
There is one bannered route of SR 525, called Washington State Route 525 Spur or SR 525 Spur, commissioned in 2001, which connects with State Route 526State Route 526 (Washington)
State Route 526, commonly known as SR 526, Casino Freeway, Boeing Freeway or Highway 526, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. It is in length and runs from Mukilteo in the west to Everett in the east. It serves as a vital connection to Boeing's Largest Manufacturing facility at...
near Paine Field
Paine Field
Paine Field, also known as Snohomish County Airport is a public airport located in unincorporated Snohomish County, between Mukilteo and Everett, Washington...
.
Paine Field Boulevard / SR 525 Spur begins at a Y-Intersection with SR 525 just outside of the residential areas of Mukilteo, Washington
Mukilteo, Washington
Mukilteo , which means "good camping ground", is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,254 at the 2010 census. It is on the shore of the Puget Sound, and is the site of a Washington State Ferries terminal linking it to Clinton, on Whidbey Island.Mukilteo is...
. It then travels north about 1.2 miles (2 km) to its terminus at SR 526. During its entire length, there are no intersections, save for the termini, and the speed limit is set at 45 miles per hour (72 km/h).
Paine Field Boulevard was created in 1999 to facilitate traffic flow to and from Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
's Paine Field manufacturing facility by ensuring that it no longer interferes with ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
traffic on SR 525 bound for Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
. Also, many people working at Paine Field live in the Mukilteo neighborhood of Harbour Pointe, and this new route allows for more direct travel between work and home. Boeing also has an engineering facility in Harbour Pointe, so the logic of a more direct route for the engineers to travel to the plant becomes apparent.
State Route 525 Spur is 0.86 miles (1.4 km) long.
Langley Loop
A new state, county, city partnership was created in 2009, to better direct traffic to the city of LangleyLangley, Washington
Langley is a town in Island County, Washington, United States near the eastern end of the north shore of the south end of Whidbey Island. It is the third largest incorporated area on Whidbey. The population was 1,035 at the 2010 census, while the ZCTA for Langley's post office had a population of...
, which resulted in the creation of the Langley Loop, a state sponsored, county and city maintained route. The route extends along Langley Rd. and Bayview Rd./Brooks Hill Rd. to Langley, then over various city streets. Signs have been produced, and will be installed in the fall of 2011.