Benton County Commissioner Leo Bowman stood on a sandy slope next to Highway 395 on Tuesday afternoon and waved his arm at the cars whizzing by on their way from Kennewick to Pasco.
"Take a look," Bowman said, wearing a proud smile. "Where's your congestion?"
He was among a slew of state and local officials who gathered next to the highway's new interchange to tout the enhanced safety and traffic flow resulting from the figure-eight roundabout and wider overpass that replaced the old cloverleaf south of the bridge.
They also lauded construction crews for finishing the job on time and on budget.
Construction started on the $16 million interchange Feb. 23 and initially was expected to last for two seasons.
But it finished in October, about three weeks ahead of schedule, said Moe Davari, project engineer for the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Don Whitehouse, regional WSDOT administrator, said the speedy construction was due to a combination of factors -- extra money from the state, drivers putting up with several highway closures and contractor KLB Construction Inc. working around the clock.
The project is intended to improve safety and traffic flow in an area that attracts an average of more than 60,000 vehicles per day.
Davari said that number includes about 10,000 trucks daily and 40,000 vehicles getting onto Highway 240.
It was challenging to have construction in the middle of one of the Tri-Cities' busiest roads, he said.
"But we made it through," Davari said.
The road also has been one of the Tri-Cities' most dangerous, but Washington State Patrol Lt. Jay Cabezuela said the new inter-
change has reduced the number of accidents on the blue bridge by more than half.
Fewer people are getting into accidents while trying to merge onto the bridge, and fewer people are getting injured in the accidents that do happen because the roundabout has slowed them down, he said.
"It's working exactly how it's supposed to," Cabezuela said.
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State keeps pushing plans for Benton City roundabout
State keeps pushing plans for Benton City roundabout
BENTON CITY — A single-lane roundabout someday will replace the confusing and sometimes congested intersection at highways 224 and 225 in Benton City.
The state Department of Transportation is continuing to work on getting the project ready for construction, although the state still doesn't have money to finish the design or build the roundabout.
The roundabout, the first phase of the Red Mountain project, is going through the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.
Construction today will delay Highway 12 traffic
Construction today will delay Highway 12 traffic
Westbound Highway 12 will be down to one lane today during daylight hours.
The closure is related to the construction of a new interchange at Highway 12 and Highway 124 and a new bridge on Humorist Road over Highway 12 near Burbank.
Construction is expected to be end for the winter soon, and will start up again in February. The bridge and interchange are scheduled to be finished in summer 2012.
Highway 12 down to 1 lane this week
Highway 12 down to 1 lane this week
Highway 12 will be down to one lane in each direction near Burbank through Friday during daylight hours.
The closure is related to the construction of a new interchange at Highway 12 and Highway 124 and a new bridge on Humorist Road over Highway 12 near Burbank.
Construction is expected to end for the winter soon and will start up again in February. The bridge and interchange are scheduled to be finished in summer 2012.
Court Street overpass repairs are finished
Court Street overpass repairs are finished
The Court Street overpass repair in Pasco was completed this week, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The bridge across Highway 395 was damaged in January when construction equipment on a semi-truck was too tall and crashed into the bridge's support girders.
One of the girders was replaced, and about six other girders were repaired. The bridge was down to one lane during construction.
Construction projects to delay traffic, close lanes starting Tuesday
Construction projects to delay traffic, close lanes starting Tuesday
Highway 224 in West Richland will be reduced to one lane between Highway 240 and Bombing Range Road from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday for construction.
Some lanes will be closed so crews can stripe the roadway and install guide posts. One lane will remain open in each direction.
In Richland, Highway 240 and the intersection of Stevens Drive and Swift Boulevard will be reduced by one lane from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, as crews install traffic signals systems and stripe the roadway.
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