The city of Bothell celebrated the success of a significant capital project with the opening of the new State Route 522 alignment early this morning. It is the largest municipal downtown project in the state.

City and state officials gathered at 4:30 a.m. for a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new road.

The $60 million dollar project, called Crossroads, is also the largest single capital investment in the city’s history. The project shifts SR 522 one block to the south, decoupling SR 522 from Bothell’s Main Street. The project will improve capacity for the 46,000 plus vehicles that pass through the intersection daily, add commercial blocks to the downtown core and increase the size of the Park at Bothell Landing.

“The Crossroads Project will mean less cut‐through traffic in our residential neighborhoods and a quicker commute,” Bothell Mayor Mark Lamb said. “This project also represents another major milestone in revitalizing our historic downtown. Crossroads is part of a multi‐year effort to redevelop downtown with new residential, retail, office, mixed‐use and an expanded park system. Today,that vision is one major step closer.”

It also takes downtown redevelopment to the next phase. The old SR 522 alignment will now become an east‐west connection with future development that will extend Main Street and complete the city’s downtown street grid. By extending Main Street to the west and developing a Boulevard along Bothell Way N.E. the city will connect historic Main Street to new development west of Bothell Way N.E.

“This is an exciting time for Bothell,” Bothell City Manager Bob Stowe said. “I am extremely proud of the way the Bothell community has stepped up and responded to some difficult economic times; the way we have leaned into the recession and the future we are now creating. Our community’s vision is coming to life as public investments are attracting private vertical development. Bothell’s re‐imagined downtown will not only create jobs and new economic opportunities, it will create a sense of place and commons for friends and family to enjoy.”

City officials noted that the project team includes: Perteet, Inc., Parsons Brinckerhoff, HWA GeoSciences, Hough Beck & Baird, Freedman Tung & Sasaki, Atkinson Construction, KLB Construction and Totem Electric.

The city formally started its revitalization process in the spring of 2005. Economic projections indicated that, over a 25‐year period, the city’s public improvements and strategic actions would leverage $650 million in private investment.

Currently, over $200 million in private investment is in the development pipeline or under construction today.