A roundabout. Extra lanes. What’s the answer for this clogged Pasco highway interchange?

Pasco planners are looking for some ideas from Tri-Cities residents so that the city’s most western freeway interchange does not become the next Road 68 traffic tangle.

The eastbound Interstate 182 off-ramp at Broadmoor Boulevard and Road 100 already backs up in the late afternoon with commuters trying to get home to west Pasco.

But once more homes, a planned large-scale retail project and the region’s second Costco are built in the Broadmoor area, city officials know the interchange has the potential for becoming another traffic congestion nightmare.

A virtual workshop is being held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, to present the area’s future plans and get ideas for improvements before it’s too late.

This is the first open house being held on the Broadmoor Interchange Project.

Residents who wish to participate are asked to register for the online Zoom workshop.

The city also is offering interpreting services for Spanish speakers, who can request assistance by first contacting vls@dksassociates.com.

Considering the existing I-182 off ramp backups, along with Pasco’s “Comprehensive Plan’s adoption and with the proposed development that is planned for the Broadmoor area, we are looking to try to address some of the existing and increased congestion that that interchange is likely to see,” said Steve Worley, the Pasco public works director.

“The project we’re working on with (the Washington state Department of Transportation) is to see what kind of changes we can make to help that congestion.”

Worley said it might be pushing it “a little bit” to have the changes made by next year. He said it is more likely to be done in 2023.

“We are doing everything we can to address the existing problem as soon as possible, and (the state Department of Transportation) has been a great partner with the city on helping us try to get through the process as efficiently as we possibly can,” he said.

Pasco-funded project

While it is a city-funded project, no improvements can be made to an interstate interchange without approval from the Washington state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

Broadmoor Boulevard extends to the north of Interstate 182, but its name changes to Road 100 when motorists are traveling south away from the freeway at Balflour Drive.

Development is planned in both the northwest corner above the freeway, along with south of I-182.

Worley told the Tri-City Herald that the westbound off ramp is not yet experiencing the same level of cars stacking up, especially during peak hours.

But said the point of this project is to get ahead of that eventual problem, and to avoid becoming the next Road 68 freeway exit.

“Pasco grew so fast during that time that I think the development and traffic elements (at Road 68 and Burden Boulevard) didn’t quite keep up,” he said.

Worley said that part of that coordinated process with both state and federal government includes a public workshop, traffic analysis and evaluation of public comment.

City officials want to hear both concerns and suggestions from residents.

Ideas for improving the interchange can be everything from changing the traffic signal’s cycle, making the exit ramps longer with a loop that goes under the overpass to adding extra lanes in the off ramps or even putting roundabouts at both freeway exits.

“Anybody that has a thought, a comment, a suggestion, a good idea, we would love for them to participate in this workshop,” said Worley.

The state Department of Transportation submitted a letter to Franklin County’s planning department in January outlining concerns with the ability for existing roads to meet future needs and the need for improvements as the area transitions from agricultural uses to housing and commercial areas.

Already from 2006 to 2018, the traffic on the Road 100 corridor more than doubled from about 10,500 vehicles to 22,400, said officials.

The transportation plans said bridge widening and interchange reconstruction at the Interstate 182/Broadmoor Boulevard Interchange could cost $40 million.

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This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 1:52 PM.