Washington State Department of Transportation: Paving the way for highway preservation

Tri-City area drivers will see lots of orange cones throughout their highways in the spring, summer and fall of 2017. Supported by local, state and federal funding, many major infrastructure investments will make for a hefty construction season. Here’s a look at the 2017 season at a glance:

SR 240 will be receiving a lot of attention. Paving projects will cover six miles of SR 240 starting just east of Jadwin Avenue and ending at I-182. At Van Giesen Street, an acceleration lane for eastbound SR 224 traffic turning into eastbound SR 240 will be added to reduce the risk of collisions. Crews will install cameras along the Richland bypass to improve traveler information and operations. Installation of traffic lights at the intersections of 240 with Hagen Road/Robertson Drive and Kingsgate Way will provide easier access to SR 240 from these locations. An additional four miles of SR 240 will be paved near Columbia Center Boulevard out to US 395, with improved curb ramps and sidewalks. SR 397 South from Yew Street to 10th Avenue will be another construction zone, while we repave two miles and widen shoulders.

This season also has scheduled paving projects for I-82, one mile west of Benton City to the I-182 interchange, repaving five miles and improving striping up to the interchange. I-82 will have another crew down near Plymouth replacing the decking on the eastbound Columbia River Bridge.

East of Burbank, crews will construct a bridge over the Union Pacific railroad to separate trains and vehicular traffic. Monument Drive will reconnect to SR 124 west of its current location. Moving the intersection will improve safety for traffic entering SR 124; construction starts as soon as weather permits.

Supported by the 2015 Connecting Washington Transportation Revenue Package, crew are optimistic to start work in the city of Richland by late 2017. The city intends to construct a four lane bridge over the Yakima River connecting the SR 240 bypass highway and Queensgate Drive. The project will be the only local street crossing of the Yakima River in Richland, providing a shorter, safer route for vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users. The city of Pasco plans to replace the current BNSF railroad under-crossing with a new wider bridge to enhance mobility and safety. That project is tentatively scheduled to break ground in 2020.

It is too early to provide exact dates and traffic impacts for the 2017 construction season. For weekly updates, check www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/SouthCentral/Construction.

Over the next few years, the Connecting Washington Transportation Revenue Package will be doled out into projects focused on highway preservation, accessibility, safety and retaining the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas’ economic vitality. The very first project from the revenue package to break ground and be complete was in Benton City. Crews completed the roundabout last summer and so far, residents, city officials and businesses are enjoying the ease of access in and out of the city. Phase two of improving access to the Red Mountain area includes a new interchange on I-82 in West Richland. WSDOT is currently working with the Federal Highway Administration to approve the addition of the new interchange.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Washington State Department of Transportation: Paving the way for highway preservation."