Editing Index, Washington (section)

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
[[File:Wes Smith Bridge 03.jpg|thumb|right|The Wes Smith Bridge, opened in 1999, connects Index to [[U.S. Route 2 in Washington|U.S. Route 2]]]]

Index is located {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} northeast of [[U.S. Route 2 in Washington|U.S. Route 2]] (US{{nbsp}}2), which connects [[Everett, Washington|Everett]] to the Skykomish Valley and [[Stevens Pass]]. The town is connected to US{{nbsp}}2 by Index–Galena Road,<ref name="Times-Guide"/> which continues northeast into the [[Wild Sky Wilderness]]. A flood in November 2006 washed out a section of the road beyond Index at [[milepost]] 6.4.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haglund |first=Noah |date=January 15, 2018 |title=Work on damaged Index-Galena route could begin in 2019 |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/work-on-damaged-index-galena-route-could-begin-in-2019/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 2, 2019 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043518/https://www.heraldnet.com/news/work-on-damaged-index-galena-route-could-begin-in-2019/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The road was reopened in November 2023 after a three-year repair project that relocated sections to higher ground and added new [[culvert]]s and bridges. The project cost $29 million to complete and was mostly funded by the federal government.<ref name="Herald-Beyond"/><ref name="Herald-GalenaRd">{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Jordan |date=November 5, 2023 |title='The best day in 17 years': Locals revel in Index-Galena Road reopening |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/the-best-day-in-17-years-locals-revel-in-index-galena-road-reopening/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=December 22, 2023}}</ref>

The town's bridge over the North Fork Skykomish River is the Smith Bridge, a {{convert|265|ft|m|adj=mid}} [[tied-arch bridge]] that carries two lanes of 5th Street to Index–Galena Road. It opened in September 1999 and was the first tied-arch bridge in Snohomish County, with a height of {{convert|65|ft|m}}. The Smith Bridge replaced the earlier Index Bridge No. 122, a [[timber bridge]] that was constructed in 1918 and only carried one lane of traffic.<ref name="Herald-Bridge1999"/> The old bridge had been moved {{convert|30|ft|m}} from its original site in April 1998 to be used during construction of the new bridge;<ref name="Herald-Bridge1998">{{cite news |last=Moriarty |first=Leslie |date=April 27, 1998 |title=Bridge relocation draws a crowd at Index |page=B1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-bridge-relocation-draws/164813520/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref> the relocated bridge was also closed entirely for several days in October 1998 to prepare for flood control measures, leaving Index with only a winding gravel road to connect to the rest of the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moriarty |first=Leslie |date=October 8, 1998 |title=Index readies for bridge work |page=A1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-index-readies-for-bridg/164813567/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref>

===Utilities===

[[Electric power]] for Index is provided by the [[Snohomish County Public Utility District]] (PUD), a consumer-owned [[public utility]] that serves all of Snohomish County. The utility derives most of its electricity from [[hydroelectricity]] that it purchases from the federal [[Bonneville Power Administration]] or generates on its own.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 2024 |title=Quick Facts & Figures |url=https://www.snopud.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/QuickFacts_424.pdf |publisher=[[Snohomish County Public Utility District]] |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref> The PUD's plan to build an [[inflatable dam]] near Sunset Falls east of Index was abandoned in 2018 due to opposition from environmentalists and local residents, who sought a [[National Wild and Scenic Rivers System|wild and scenic]] designation for the river.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pailthorp |first=Bellamy |date=June 19, 2013 |title=Proposed hydro-energy project has Index saying 'no dam way' |url=https://www.knkx.org/environment/2013-06-19/proposed-hydro-energy-project-has-index-saying-no-dam-way |publisher=[[KNKX]] |accessdate=February 9, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Stevick |first=Eric |date=April 11, 2018 |title=Snohomish County PUD scraps Skykomish River hydroelectric dam |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-pud-scraps-skykomish-river-hydroelectric-dam/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 2, 2019 |archive-date=March 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305160011/https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-pud-scraps-skykomish-river-hydroelectric-dam/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Another plan by the PUD to harness [[geothermal energy]] northeast of Index at Garland Mineral Springs was shelved in 2012 after test drills found bedrock instead of more favorable underground conditions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sheets |first=Bill |date=July 22, 2012 |title=Geothermal energy project a bust after drilling hits bedrock |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/geothermal-energy-project-a-bust-after-drilling-hits-bedrock/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 13, 2025}}</ref> [[Natural gas]] for the town's residents and businesses is provided by [[Puget Sound Energy]], a private company that serves most of the [[Seattle metropolitan area]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About us |url=https://www.pse.com/en/about-us |publisher=[[Puget Sound Energy]] |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref>

The town's main [[tap water|water]] source is a [[spring (hydrology)|spring]] that draws from groundwater and is collected by [[well]]s and stored in an underground vault. The drinking water is not treated or filtered due to its minimal contact with human contamination and is regularly monitored for safety.<ref name="ComprehensivePlan"/><ref name="Index-Newsletter2011">{{cite web |date=July 2011 |title=Town of Index Annual Newsletter and Consumer Confidence Report |pages=3, 10–11 |url=http://www.indexwa.org/annual/2011/2011newsletter.pdf |publisher=Town of Index |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318091255/http://www.indexwa.org/annual/2011/2011newsletter.pdf |archive-date=March 18, 2012 |accessdate=February 10, 2025}}</ref> In the 1980s, the town government considered a proposal to collect and sell [[bottled water]] from its municipal source.<ref>{{cite news |last=Browder |first=Seanna |date=April 11, 1986 |title=Index may be selling sips |page=1A |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-index-may-be-selling-si/171664698/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}</ref> The water supply has 129 connections, including 119 residential customers.<ref name="ComprehensivePlan"/> Index lacks a sewage treatment plant and instead relies on individual [[septic tank]]s.<ref name="HazardPlan"/><ref name="ComprehensivePlan"/> The town's curbside [[municipal solid waste|solid waste]] and recycling pickup is contracted out to [[Waste Management]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Solid Waste: Service Provider Map |url=https://snohomishcountywa.gov/482/Curbside-Collection |publisher=Snohomish County Department of Public Works |accessdate=February 9, 2025}}</ref>

Index has limited telecommunications service that is primarily provided by [[satellite internet|satellite]] and [[mobile broadband]] companies.<ref name="ComprehensivePlan"/><ref>{{cite web |title=FCC National Broadband Map |url=https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/location-summary |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref> [[Ziply Fiber]] provides landline telephone and internet service to customers in the town.<ref name="ComprehensivePlan"/> In 2024, the county government approved a contract with Ziply Fiber to provide [[broadband internet]] service to Index using an existing [[Fiber-optic communication|fiber line]]. The $4.3 million program, which also includes [[Verlot, Washington|Verlot]], is funded by the [[American Rescue Plan Act of 2021]] and is expected to be completed in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Jordan |date=January 31, 2025 |title=Rural internet project moves forward near Index |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/rural-internet-project-moves-forward-near-index/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref>