Look inside the largest local, public project taking shape in Tri-Cities
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- Kennewick invests $71.3M to add 115,000 sq ft to Three Rivers Convention Center.
- Expansion features column-free hall for six basketball courts and motorsports.
- Project on budget and schedule; first event set for fall 2026; ties to new hotel.
Lydig Construction has been busy installing ceiling and flooring systems as its expands the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.
One month after Lydig and its team placed the final 160-foot beam across the sprawling new addition, workers have installed acoustic materials for the future ceiling, poured a concrete floor and polished it to a high shine.
Members of the Kennewick City Council toured the active construction site Feb. 10, offering the elected leaders and the public a chance to step inside a building that is taking shape fast.
The quasi-independent Kennewick Public Facilities District is investing $71.3 million to expand the existing Three Rivers complex by 115,000 square feet.
It is the largest local, public sector project taking shape in the Tri-Cities at the moment.
The work is on budget and on schedule. Officials confirm the expanded convention center will welcome its first event this fall.
The facilities district is responsible for public facilities in Kennewick, namely the Three Rivers campus, and works in concert with the city.
The expansion is meant to draw more conventions, meetings and sporting events to boost local tourism.
The expansion is being carried out by Lydig and ALSC Architects, the same team that built the current convention center some 22 years ago.
When work wraps, the new addition will flow seamlessly into the old, providing a consistent experience for users.
The heart of the new addition is a vast hall with no internal supports.
It can accommodate six basketball courts or any number of other sports courts. It will be able to handle motorsports as well, including truck and farm equipment shows. Exhaust fans in the roof will refresh indoor air.
The new addition is being built on West Grandridge Boulevard and will connect both to the existing convention center and to the $47 million AC Marriott Hotel being constructed next door.
A-1 Hospitality and Fowler Construction are building the new hotel just feet away from the convention center. Fowler recently began framing the third floor of the five-story hotel.
The convention center expansion is funded with bonds backed by the center’s revenue and by a sales tax rebate from the state.
The hotel is privately financed with private funds and a loan from Idaho Central Credit Union.
Tourism was worth more than $640 million to the Tri-Cities economy in 2024, according to the most recent figures from Visit Tri-Cities, the region’s tourism bureau.
Tourism supported nearly 5,900 local jobs and resulted in nearly $80 million in local and state tax contributions.
