$11.4M road in Kennewick to open soon

Drivers, start your engines.

One of Kennewick’s top transportation projects is about to become a reality. Bob Olson Parkway, named for a former city councilman, is to open by the third week of September.

Workers are putting the finishing touches on the new five-lane road, which extends from the Steptoe Street/10th Avenue roundabout to Sherman Street and provides a new corridor between highways 395 and 240.

Bob Olson Parkway boasts curbs, gutters, sidewalks, streetlights and landscaping. The city also widened Hildebrand Boulevard to five lanes between Sherman and Grant streets.

It is tentatively expected to open to traffic Sept. 14, but city officials cautioned that the date could change. There will be a formal ribbon cutting ceremony in October.

The $11.4 million project began a year ago and culminates long-term efforts by the city and the state department of transportation to provide new transportation connections in growing areas of the city.

It is named for former Councilman Bob Olson, a transportation advocate who served 28 years on the city council before losing his seat in 2015.

This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 7:26 PM with the headline "$11.4M road in Kennewick to open soon."