Highway 9 south of Snohomish re-opened today because the water over the roadway has receded; officials began reopening part of the flood-drenched highway yesterday evening.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is still assessing the condition of the road that is not in use according to a road worker we talked to this morning.

The complete gridlock that had both directions of traffic being diverted to Airport Way and Springhetti Road yesterday afternoon is now just a bad memory. Many commuters wondered why the back roads were open and the main highway wasn't.

This raises the question; why wasn't the new section of SR9 raised to be above the hundred year flood mark? We have a call in to Paula J. Hammond, WSDOT Secretary and haven't heard back at press time.

Using a ferry to cross the valley doesn't seem very cost effective. Marsh Road which is still under water began to show signs that it may be coming up for air today. The cost to the average citizen of the environmental impact of inaction to correct flood vulnerabilities continues to be astronomical.

"Maybe if the floods start costing more than the environmental lawsuits the state government could see it's way clear to begin dredging the rivers and protecting its citizens" said Paul Thomas, a trucker stopped on SR9.