Traffic bottlenecks: Highway overpass plan to ease Pasco driving congestion
The city of Pasco is proposing a new overpass at Road 76 to make it easier to drive across six lanes of Interstate 182.
The $23 million overpass would improve safety, unclog traffic and give drivers an alternative to using busy commercial corridors when they don’t have to.
Two current routes on the city’s west side include the often congested overpasses at Road 68 and Broadmoor Boulevard, aka Road 100.
The other two are the underpasses at Argent Road and 20th Avenue, which add miles to routine trips between neighborhoods north of the freeway and destinations, such as Chiawana High School, to the south.
The Road 76 overpass would connect Burden Boulevard, north of the freeway, with Chapel Hill Boulevard, to the south, and would provide paths for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as motor vehicles.
The interstate cut the city in half when it opened in the mid-1980s, funneling north-south traffic into a few corridors that offer minimal protection to people on bikes or walking.
Critically, it would offer relief to Road 68, the site of some of the region’s busiest intersections.
Seeking funding
At $23 million, the cost is about a third less than the $32 million Pasco is spending on an overpass to carry Lewis Street over the BNSF railyard downtown.
That project was funded by the 2015 Legislature in a $16 billion package, supported by new gasoline taxes.
Steve Worley, Pasco’s public works director, hopes to secure federal money for the Road 76 overpass, which would take more than two years to design and build once the money is lined up.
The overpass, coupled with plans to connect other incomplete streets in city’s transportation plan, would form a more robust transportation grid as Pasco braces for more explosive population growth.
Already one of Washington’s fastest-growing cities, Pasco is projected to exceed 121,000 residents by 2038, from about 80,200 today.
Much of that is expected to happen on the west side, where 1,000-plus acres west of Broadmoor are being prepped for commercial and residential development.
The state Department of Natural Resources owns most of the land along the Road 76 corridor. And the city has yet to acquire the necessary right-of-ways.
Frustrated drivers
The cost is daunting, but the payoff could be significant for frustrated drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
Road 68 is home to Walmart, Lowe’s, Yoke’s Fresh Market, the HAPO event center and a myriad of retail businesses. Two of Pasco’s three most accident-prone intersections are on Road 68, at Burden and at Court Street.
Congestion along the existing Road 68 and at Broadmoor corridors is “significant,” as noted in the transportation plan the city adopted in 2022.
The plan notes the Road 68/I-182 interchange regularly experiences backups that block access to other intersections and driveways. The master plan dedicates nearly $16 million to update it and add lanes to serve east and westbound traffic.
Cars, bikes, pedestrians
The overpass would provide lanes for vehicles, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists.
Worley confirmed it is an overpass only, with no exits to the freeway. The Road 68 ramps are too close for a new set of on- and off-ramps.
Road 76 will not rely on a tax increment financing or TIF, which is being used to support road construction in the Broadmoor area, Worley said.
Nor will the overpass carry water, sewer or utility lines. Richland’s Duportail Bridge carries a water line, which allowed that city to tap utility funds for its construction.
Worley said the city could change its view on using the overpass for utility lines in the future.
The overpass plan is not so far along. Pasco is seeking public input on the idea. To date, views are mixed, with some commenters saying Burden and Chapel Hill will need updates if they’re to carry more traffic.
Others commented on poor sightlines, unprotected intersections, jaywalking and speeding that pose a challenge. One pedestrian cheered the idea of being able to cross the freeway on a safe sidewalk.
“It’s important this doesn’t become a freeway connection. This will be the only safe walking/bike route for kids and all pedestrians and adding freeway access would eliminate the safety benefit. Please make sure there is enough room for both a bike path and a walking path on each side of the road,” the commenter said.
Weigh in at bit.ly/Rd76Overpass
Construction spree
The Road 76 proposal comes as the city nears the end of one major transportation project and starts another.
The Lewis Street overpass, which started in August 2021, is progressing toward completion this fall, Worley said.
The contractor is ready to place concrete for the bridge deck and the retaining walls for the ramps.
And in January, the city awarded the first contract for the Broadmoor area when it granted a $600,000 contract to Goodman & Mehlenbacher Enterprises Inc. of Kennewick to lay out future roads.
The contract sets the stage for a $40 million plan to overhaul Broadmoor area roads to serve the subdivisions, apartments, retailers, aquatics center and more that are planned in the area.
That project is funded through tax increment financing, which uses new tax revenue to repay bonds.