65K to converge on Tri-Cities. WSP’s plans for speeders, drunk drivers
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- WSP plans to double troopers for Water Follies to address traffic volume surge
- Aerial patrol plane deployed to track and report aggressive or high-speed drivers
- Kennewick police secure Columbia Park with curfews, alcohol limits and patrols
Washington State Patrol troopers are hoping to keep the racing on the water and not the roads this weekend.
Last year, the Tri-City Water Follies attracted nearly a dozen drivers going more than 100 mph on state highways, and stopped 122 for driving aggressively, Trooper Daniel Mosqueda said.
WSP is bringing in troopers from across the region to nearly double the usual staffing on the roads as about 65,000 converge on the Tri-Cities for the annual hydroplane races and air show.
“That’s thousands of extra vehicles on our freeways and state routes,” said Mosqueda. “We want to make sure we have enough manpower to keep our community safe.”
“We’re going to have troopers on motorcycles. We’re going to have troopers in unmarked sports cars, and we’re going to have aviation up as the eye in the sky,” Mosqueda said.
While drunk driving arrests have held steady at about eight to 12 in the last three years, crashes have been declining. But with higher speeds comes the increased risk of serious collisions.
The Tri-Cities area and the state have been dealing with continuing high levels of serious injuries in collisions, many of them fueled by the increase in speeding drivers. That is especially true for drivers ages 16 to 25, Mosqueda said.
He’s hoping people will drive safely on the roads, but with the influx of people there likely will be some people who push legal limits.
WSP plane patrols
WSP is bringing in a plane to help catch speeding and reckless drivers. The aviation unit is normally stationed in Olympia and only travels outside of the I-5 corridor for special occasions, Trooper Bart Maupin said.
The plane can watch more of the roadway, and drivers may spot troopers on the highway, but aren’t expecting them to be in the sky.
The aerial patrol has worked in the Tri-Cities before. They helped catch a speeder going 161 mph on Interstate 82 south of Kennewick in March 2024. The 18-year-old was followed by the plane and troopers were ready to meet him.
“If the aircraft is out there, they’re going to catch you,” Mosqueda said.
He said about 80% to 90% of the stops they made for aggressive driving during last year’s Water Follies happened because of the plane.
The plane’s cameras have software that can measure the speed someone is going. The pilots can communicate with other police officers on the ground.
“The most obvious thing we’re seeing are erratic drivers,” Maupin said. “Drivers that are going at a rate of speed much higher than other traffic on the roadway, lane travel, or splitting between lanes, driving on the shoulder.”
Road closure in Columbia Park
While troopers prepare for the influx of drivers on area highways, Kennewick and Pasco police and other agencies are preparing to patrol area parks.
“This great unique family fun annual event draws about 20,000 people a day to the park,” Kennewick police said in a Facebook post.
Columbia Park is closed to the public and no one is allowed to enter at night. No weapons are allowed, and people can’t have alcohol except for the beer garden or in special viewing tents.
Few problems were reported to police last year during the races. Kennewick police responded to one man urinating in public and another who was wanted for outstanding warrants. There also were five medical emergencies on the Columbia Park side, Kennewick police Commander Isaac Merkl said.