Traffic alert: Work begins on GWay – one of Tri-Cities’ busiest commuter routes
The city of Richland announced that a long-planned upgrade to the intersection of George Washington Way and Aaron drive/Columbia Point Drive begins after Labor Day.
The project will begin on the west side of George Washington Way and involves closing the parking lane to Benham Street. The intersection will remain open but there will be lane closures during various phases of construction. Detours will be announced in advance.
The project is set to wrap by late November. Ellison Earthworks is the contractor.
George Washington Way records an average of about 41,000 vehicles each day along the stretch south of Jadwin Avenue, including commuters to the Hanford site, Washington State University Tri-Cities and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
It is second only to the Interstate 182 ramps at Road 68 in Pasco, according to a 2024 traffic study by the Benton Franklin Council of Governments.
The intersection project is separate from Richland’s plan to create a one-way “couplet” in the central city, with northbound traffic using George Washington Way and southbound traffic using Jadwin Avenue.
Work includes
- New southbound lane on George Washington Way
- Second turn lane from Columbia Point Drive at Winco onto the southbound George Washington/Highway 240.
- New signals.
- Eliminate crosswalk islands
- New accessible sidewalk ramps
- Widen sidewalk between Behham Street and Aaron Drive
- New sidewalk on north side of Columbia Point Drive.
Go to ci.richland.wa.us/SouthGWay
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 12:08 PM.