Interstate 82 (I-82) is an
Interstate Highway
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
region of the United States that travels through parts of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
and
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. It runs from its northwestern terminus at
I-90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
in
Ellensburg, Washington
Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82
Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in th ...
, to its southeastern terminus at
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)
Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...
in
Hermiston, Oregon
Hermiston () is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Its population of 19,696 makes it the largest city in Eastern Oregon. Hermiston is the largest, and fastest-growing, city in the Hermiston-Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area ...
. The highway passes through
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...
and the
Tri-Cities, and is also part of the link between
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. I-82 travels
concurrently with
U.S. Route 97
U.S. Route 97 (US 97) is a major north–south route of the United States Numbered Highway System in the Pacific Northwest region. It runs for approximately through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, primarily serving in ...
(US 97) between Ellensburg and
Union Gap
Union Gap is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,568. Union Gap has become the retail hub for the entire Yakima Valley as a result of Valley Mall and other thriving businesses be ...
;
US 12 from Yakima to the Tri-Cities; and
US 395 from
Kennewick
Kennewick () is a city in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers and across from the confluence of the C ...
and
Umatilla, Oregon
Umatilla (, ) is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population in 2010 was 6,906, but the city's population includes approximately 2,000 inmates incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution.
Umatilla is part of the ...
.
I-82 primarily serves the
Yakima Valley agricultural region, following the
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...
and
Columbia rivers southeastward to the Tri-Cities. The highway enters the valley from the north by crossing the
Manastash Ridge
Manastash Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge located in central Washington state in the United States. Manastash Ridge runs mostly west-to-east in Kittitas and Yakima counties, for approximately 50 miles. The ridge is part of the Yakima Fol ...
, which separates Yakima from the
Kittitas Valley
Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima Coun ...
. I-82 bypasses the Tri-Cities by traveling southwest around
Richland and Kennewick and then turns south to cross the Columbia River on the
Umatilla Bridge
The Umatilla Bridge is the collective name for a pair of bridges in the northwest United States, carrying Interstate 82/U.S. Route 395 (I-82/US 395) across the Columbia River at the Washington–Oregon border. The older bridge opened in Jul ...
. Its only
auxiliary route
In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the Int ...
,
I-182, connects the highway to Richland and
Pasco in the Tri-Cities.
The I-82 corridor was originally used by several state and national highways, including the
Inland Empire Highway
Primary State Highways were major state highways in the U.S. state of Washington used in the early 20th century. They were created as the first organized road numbering system in the state in stages between 1905 and 1937 and used until the 1964 ...
and
US 410, which were built in the early 20th century. The federal government created I-82 in late 1957 to serve military facilities in the region, replacing an earlier designation for what is now I-84. The first section of I-82 to be constructed was the easterly bypass of Yakima, which opened in 1963 and was gradually extended north to Ellensburg by 1971. The Yakima Valley section, connecting Union Gap to
Prosser Prosser may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
;United States
* Prosser, California, a former settlement
* Prosser Creek, California
* Prosser, Nebraska, a village
* Prosser, Washington, a city
;Australia
* Electoral division of Prosser, Tasmania
* Prosser ...
, was constructed between 1977 and 1982.
The routing of the highway between Prosser and I-84 was very controversial among Tri-Cities residents, who lobbied for a longer I-82 alignment to serve them. Oregon legislators and highway officials remained opposed to a routing that bypassed Umatilla, leading to several attempts at finding a compromise along the
Wallula Gap
Wallula Gap () is a large water gap of the Columbia River in the northwest United States in southeast Washington. It cuts through the Horse Heaven Hills basalt anticlines in the Columbia River Basin, just south of the confluence of the Walla ...
or in other areas southeast of the Tri-Cities. In 1973, Oregon and Washington adopted a federal compromise to build I-82 through Umatilla and around the outskirts of the Tri-Cities with a
spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...
(I-182) to serve the area directly. The Tri-Cities section opened in 1986 while in Oregon, the final section of I-82 was completed in 1988. In the early 2000s, Oregon highway officials examined plans to extend I-82 farther south through
eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...
and towards
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, but they were not considered for further study.
Route description
I-82 travels
through a part of the
Inland Northwest
The Inland Northwest, historically and alternatively known as the Inland Empire, is a region of the American Northwest centered on the Greater Spokane, Washington Area, encompassing all of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Under broader defi ...
in a generally northwest–southeast direction along the
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...
and
Columbia rivers.
[.] The four-lane divided highway forms part of the link between
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and the inland West, which includes
Boise, Idaho
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...
and
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. I-82 is a component of the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
and is also designated as an important national highway under the
National Highway System. It is also listed as a Highway of Statewide Significance by the Washington state government. I-82 has one
auxiliary route
In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the Int ...
,
I-182, a spur route that serves the
Tri-Cities region. It also has two child
state highways in Washington
The State Highways of Washington in the U.S. state of Washington comprise a network of over of state highways, including all Interstate and U.S. Highways that pass through the state, maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportati ...
:
State Route 821 (SR 821) that runs from
Selah
(; hbo, סֶלָה, selā) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given.
It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading ...
to
Ellensburg
Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...
, and
SR 823 that runs from
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...
to Selah.
I-82 is maintained by the
Washington State Department of Transportation
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...
(WSDOT) and the
Oregon Department of Transportation
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...
(ODOT) within their respective states. Both agencies conduct annual surveys of traffic on segments of the freeway, the results of which are expressed in terms of
average annual daily traffic
Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a y ...
(AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. The most heavily trafficked and the least trafficked sections of I-82 are located in Washington; the busiest section is in downtown Yakima near
SR 24, which carried a daily average of 52,000 vehicles in 2016, and the least-trafficked section is the terminus at
I-90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
near Ellensburg, which carried 9,100 vehicles. In 2016, ODOT's measurements of average daily traffic ranged from a minimum of 13,700 vehicles at Powerline Road near
Hermiston to a maximum of 21,700 vehicles at the
Umatilla Bridge
The Umatilla Bridge is the collective name for a pair of bridges in the northwest United States, carrying Interstate 82/U.S. Route 395 (I-82/US 395) across the Columbia River at the Washington–Oregon border. The older bridge opened in Jul ...
.
Yakima Valley
I-82 begins southeast of
Ellensburg, Washington
Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82
Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in th ...
, at a
trumpet interchange
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, using ...
with
I-90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
, the state's major east–west freeway. I-82 travels southward in a
concurrency with
US 97, which continues northwest along I-90 around Ellensburg and intersects with
SR 821 at
Thrall
A thrall ( non, þræll, is, þræll, fo, trælur, no, trell, træl, da, træl, sv, träl) was a slave or serf in Scandinavian lands during the Viking Age. The corresponding term in Old English was . The status of slave (, ) contrasts with ...
on the southern edge of the
Kittitas Valley
Kittitas County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima Coun ...
.
The freeway climbs the
Manastash Ridge
Manastash Ridge is a long anticline mountain ridge located in central Washington state in the United States. Manastash Ridge runs mostly west-to-east in Kittitas and Yakima counties, for approximately 50 miles. The ridge is part of the Yakima Fol ...
, traveling southeastward around
Yakima River Canyon
Umtanum Ridge Water Gap is a geologic feature in Washington state in the United States. It includes the Yakima Canyon (or "''Yakima River Canyon''"), and is located between the cities of Ellensburg and Yakima in central Washington. Washingto ...
, where SR 821 runs as a meandering
scenic byway. Here, I-82 also forms the western edge of the
Yakima Firing Range, a military training and exercise facility that stretches across the plateau to the
Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the sta ...
. The freeway reaches its highest point at Vanderbilt Gap, which is above sea level and only lower than
Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 (I-90) through the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. The pass summit is at an elevation of , on the county line between Kittitas County and King County.
Snoqualmie Pass ...
on I-90. From the gap, the highway crosses into
Yakima County
Yakima County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 256,728. The county seat and largest city is Yakima. The county was formed out of Ferguson County in January 1865 and is named for the Yakam ...
and turns southwestward as it begins its descent from the ridge.
![Fred G Redmon Bridge 060329](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Fred_G_Redmon_Bridge_060329.jpg)
Just north of
Selah
(; hbo, סֶלָה, selā) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given.
It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading ...
, I-82 crosses the
Fred G. Redmon Bridge, a -high, twinned
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
that spans Selah Creek. At the time of its opening in 1971, the Redmon Bridge was the longest concrete-arch bridge in North America at , but lost its record in 1993 to new bridges in
St. Paul, Minnesota, and
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...
. Southwest of the bridge, the freeway passes several farms and industrial buildings before reaching an interchange with the southern end of SR 821. I-82 continues on the eastern bank of the Yakima River to the east of Selah and intersects
SR 823 in
Selah Gap, a narrow canyon between two arms of the
Yakima Ridge.
The freeway, which runs parallel to a section of SR 823 in its
median
In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...
, crosses the Yakima and
Naches rivers at their confluence and enters
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...
.
On the southern side of the confluence, I-82 and US 97 intersect
US 12, a major cross-state highway that uses
White Pass
White Pass, also known as the Dead Horse Trail, (elevation ) is a mountain pass through the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains on the border of the U.S. state of Alaska and the province of British Columbia, Canada. It leads from Skagway, Alas ...
to travel over the Cascade Mountains, and begins a concurrency with it.
The three highways travel southward along the Yakima River, veering east of downtown Yakima and its inner neighborhoods. The freeway passes through several urban interchanges, including the western terminus of
SR 24 at Nob Hill Boulevard and a hybrid
dogbone–
partial cloverleaf
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange.
The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...
interchange at the
Valley Mall. I-82 continues southward through
Union Gap
Union Gap is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,568. Union Gap has become the retail hub for the entire Yakima Valley as a result of Valley Mall and other thriving businesses be ...
and splits from US 97 at the eponymous canyon, where it crosses the Yakima River with US 12.
I-82 and US 12 travel southeastward in the shadow of the
Rattlesnake Hills
The Rattlesnake Hills, also known as Rattlesnake Ridge, is a 16-mile (26 km) long anticline mountain ridge in Yakima County and Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It should not be confused with the much smaller Rattlesnake Ridge ...
and along the north side of the Yakima River, opposite from US 97 and the
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
's
Yakima Valley Subdivision
The Yakima Valley Subdivision is a railway line in southern Washington running about Pasco, Washington to Ellensburg, Washington. It is operated by BNSF Railway and is considered part of the Northern Transcon
The Northern Transcon, a route op ...
on the
Yakama Indian Reservation
The Yakama Indian Reservation (spelled Yakima until 1994) is a Native American reservation in Washington state of the federally recognized tribe known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The tribe is made up of Klikitat, ...
.
The freeway follows the
Central Washington Railroad and intersects several roads connecting to cities on the southern side of the river, including
Wapato and
Toppenish
Toppenish () is a city in Yakima County, Washington. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 8,854. It is located within the Yakama Indian Reservation, established in 1855.
Toppenish calls itself the city of Murals, as it has more than 7 ...
, the latter of which is connected via an interchange with
SR 22 near
Buena.
This section of the highway also passes through the Yakima Valley agricultural region, which includes
Rattlesnake Hills AVA
The Rattlesnake Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Yakima County, Washington. United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) awarded Rattlesnake Hills its appellation status on March 20, 2006, making Rattlesna ...
and
Yakima Valley AVA
}
The Yakima Valley AVA was the first American Viticultural Area established within Washington state, gaining the recognition in 1983. Part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA, Yakima Valley AVA is home to more than of vineyards, giving the ar ...
—major areas for wine and hops production, along with other crops. I-82 travels along the southern edge of
Zillah and passes the historic
Teapot Dome Service Station, a gas station and piece of political and
novelty architecture
Novelty architecture, also called programmatic architecture or mimetic architecture, is a type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual shapes for purposes such as advertising or to copy other famous buildings w ...
that became a roadside attraction. Past Zillah, the freeway intersects
SR 223 in
Granger
Granger may refer to:
People
*Granger (name)
*Hermione Granger, a fictional character in Harry Potter
United States
* Granger, Indiana
* Granger, Iowa
* Granger, Minnesota
* Granger, Missouri
* Granger, New York
* Granger, Ohio
* Granger, Texas ...
and
SR 241 southeast of
Sunnyside, bypassing both towns. I-82 continues southeastward through
Grandview and toward
Prosser Prosser may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
;United States
* Prosser, California, a former settlement
* Prosser Creek, California
* Prosser, Nebraska, a village
* Prosser, Washington, a city
;Australia
* Electoral division of Prosser, Tasmania
* Prosser ...
at the edge of the
Tri-Cities metropolitan area
The Kennewick–Pasco–Richland metropolitan area—colloquially referred to as the Tri-Cities metropolitan area, and officially known as the Kennewick–Richland, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area—is a Metropolitan statistical area, metropolit ...
in
Benton County.
Tri-Cities and Umatilla
![I-82 Umatilla](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/I-82_Umatilla.jpg)
I-82 and US 12 pass several wineries and tasting rooms in northern Prosser before crossing the Yakima River east of the city center. The freeway continues northeastward on the southern side of the Yakima River, running along the bottom of the
Horse Heaven Hills
The Horse Heaven Hills are a long range of high, rolling hills in Klickitat, Yakima, and Benton counties in Washington. The hills are an anticline ridge in the Yakima Fold Belt formed by north–south compression of lava flows in the Columbi ...
. Near Chandler Butte, the highway turns southeastward and intersects
SR 224 and
SR 225 on the southern side of
Benton City. I-82 continues eastward to an interchange with
I-182, its sole auxiliary route, at
Goose Gap
Goose Gap is a small pass connecting Badger Mountain to Candy Mountain to the west of Richland, Washington. It lies significantly higher than most of the Tri-Cities and is crossed by Interstate 182 just after its western terminus. An average of 1 ...
near
West Richland
West Richland is a city in Benton County, Washington. The population was 16,295 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is part of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area, whose principal cities (the Tri-Cities) are Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. ...
; from here, I-182 travels concurrently with US 12 into
Richland and
Pasco, while I-82 bypasses the Tri-Cities to the southwest, staying south of
Badger Mountain.
I-82 continues southeastward along the edge of the Horse Heaven Hills to an interchange with
US 395 south of
Kennewick
Kennewick () is a city in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers and across from the confluence of the C ...
, where it forms another concurrency.
The Kennewick–Plymouth section of the freeway is also signed as part of the
Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is a route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. It is part of the National Trails System of the United States. It extends for some from Pittsburgh, Pen ...
, a Washington state
scenic byway.
I-82 and US 395 travel southward and ascend the Horse Heaven Hills to an intersection with
SR 397, a highway that provides an alternate truck route for Kennewick and
Finley. The freeway continues southwestward along Bofer and Fourmile canyons, descending from the hills and passing irrigated farmland while approaching the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
. Northeast of
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, it intersects the eastern terminus of
SR 14, a cross-state highway that follows the Columbia River westward to
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, and crosses the BNSF
Fallbridge Subdivision, which carries
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Empire Builder
The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northe ...
'' passenger trains.
I-82 and US 395 cross the Columbia River west of
McNary Dam on
Umatilla Bridge
The Umatilla Bridge is the collective name for a pair of bridges in the northwest United States, carrying Interstate 82/U.S. Route 395 (I-82/US 395) across the Columbia River at the Washington–Oregon border. The older bridge opened in Jul ...
, which consists of a unique, multiple
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
, steel
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
carrying the eastbound lanes, a newer concrete
segmental bridge
A segmental bridge is a bridge built in short sections (called segments), i.e., one piece at a time, as opposed to traditional methods that build a bridge in very large sections. The bridge is made of concrete that is either cast-in-place (constru ...
that carries the westbound lanes, and a
multi-use trail
A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...
for bicyclists and pedestrians.
After crossing into Oregon, the freeway enters
Umatilla and intersects
US 730, which becomes briefly concurrent with US 395 after it splits from I-82. I-82, designated as the unsigned McNary Highway No. 70 under Oregon's
named highway system,
continues southwestward across the
Umatilla River
The Umatilla River is an tributary of the Columbia River in northern Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Draining a basin of , it enters the Columbia near the city of Umatilla in the northeastern part of the state. In downstream order, begi ...
around central
Hermiston. The freeway runs along the edge of the
Umatilla Chemical Depot
The Umatilla Chemical Depot, (UMCD) based in Umatilla, Oregon, was a U.S. Army installation in the United States that stored chemical weapons. The chemical weapons originally stored at the depot consisted of various live munitions and storage con ...
and terminates at an interchange with
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)
Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...
, which is concurrent with
US 30, southwest of Hermiston;
I-84 and US 30 continue westward along the Columbia River toward
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and eastward to
Pendleton and
Boise, Idaho
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...
.
History
Predecessor highways
![Yakima River Canyon highway paved in 1924 Washington State](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Yakima_River_Canyon_highway_paved_in_1924_Washington_State.jpg)
Several sections of I-82 follow railroads and wagon roads that were built in the late 19th century to connect towns in
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
, generally following early Indian trails. In the 1880s, the
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...
constructed a railroad along the Yakima River between Ellensburg and
Pasco as part of its transcontinental route to
Tacoma via
Stampede Pass
Stampede Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, through the Cascade Range in Washington. Southeast of Seattle and east of Tacoma, its importance to transportation lies almost entirely with railroading, as no paved r ...
. The section through Yakima River Canyon between Ellensburg and North Yakima (now Yakima) bypassed an early
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
constructed by settler Jacob Durr that traveled farther west via Wenas Valley and Shushuskin Canyon.
In 1909, the Washington state government appropriated funds to survey routes through the Yakima Valley as part of a potential extension of the state road system. In 1913, at the suggestion of
good roads
The Good Roads Movement occurred in the United States between the late 1870s and the 1920s. It was the rural dimension of the Progressive movement. A key player was the United States Post Office Department. Once a commitment was made for Rural Fre ...
advocates, the
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...
established the
Inland Empire Highway
Primary State Highways were major state highways in the U.S. state of Washington used in the early 20th century. They were created as the first organized road numbering system in the state in stages between 1905 and 1937 and used until the 1964 ...
as one of the trunk routes of its state highway system and appropriated $301,000 (equivalent to $ in dollars) to construct it to modern standards. The highway incorporated several existing and planned county roads from Ellensburg to Pasco; it then continued eastward to
Walla Walla Walla Walla can refer to:
* Walla Walla people, a Native American tribe after which the county and city of Walla Walla, Washington, are named
* Place of many rocks in the Australian Aboriginal Wiradjuri language, the origin of the name of the town ...
and northward to
Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
and the Canadian border near
Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls ( Salish: Shonitkwu, meaning "roaring or noisy waters", also Schwenetekoo translated as "Keep Sounding Water") was an ancient and important salmon fishing site on the upper reaches of the Columbia River, in what is today the U.S. ...
. The Durr toll road was bypassed by a new highway through the Yakima River Canyon that opened on September 12, 1924, and was fully paved in 1932.
The Inland Empire Highway was also incorporated into the
Yellowstone Trail
The Yellowstone Trail was the first transcontinental automobile highway through the upper tier of states in the United States, established on May 23, 1912. It was an Auto Trail that ran from the Atlantic Ocean in Plymouth, Massachusetts, throug ...
, a national
auto trail
The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in ...
, and the
federal numbered highway system created in 1926. Under the federal system, the Ellensburg–Yakima section formed part of
US 97, a north–south route through central Washington and Oregon, and the Yakima–Walla Walla portion became part of
US 410, which connected
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
to
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city and the county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States, in the state's north central region. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene, and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is ...
. In 1923, the Washington state government renumbered the Inland Empire Highway as State Road 3, which would carry over as
Primary State Highway 3 (PSH 3) in 1937. The federal highway system was expanded in the 1930s with an extension of
US 395 along
US 730 from the Tri-Cities towards
Pendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution.
Pendleton ...
and continuing southward. A branch highway between PSH 3 and the Columbia River near
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
—across from
Umatilla, Oregon
Umatilla (, ) is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population in 2010 was 6,906, but the city's population includes approximately 2,000 inmates incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution.
Umatilla is part of the ...
—was added to the state highway system in 1943 as an extension of
PSH 8—the North Bank Highway; it was renumbered to
SR 12 in 1964 and later
SR 14 in 1967. The Plymouth extension connected to the
Umatilla Bridge
The Umatilla Bridge is the collective name for a pair of bridges in the northwest United States, carrying Interstate 82/U.S. Route 395 (I-82/US 395) across the Columbia River at the Washington–Oregon border. The older bridge opened in Jul ...
, a
toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...
that was built downstream from the
McNary Dam in 1955.
US 410 itself was replaced by a western extension of
US 12 that was approved in June 1967.
Planning and early disputes
The Ellensburg–Pendleton corridor was authorized in 1956 but was not formally added to the Interstate system until October 17, 1957. The corridor was proposed by the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
and Washington senator
Warren Magnuson
Warren Grant "Maggie" Magnuson (April 12, 1905May 20, 1989) was an American lawyer and politician who represented the state of Washington in Congress for 44 years, first as a Representative from 1937 to 1944, and then as a senator from 1944 to 19 ...
in part to connect military facilities in the
Puget Sound region
The Puget Sound region is a coastal area of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. state of Washington, including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the Olympic Mountains. ...
to the
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. The site has been known by many names, including SiteW a ...
and the
Umatilla Chemical Depot
The Umatilla Chemical Depot, (UMCD) based in Umatilla, Oregon, was a U.S. Army installation in the United States that stored chemical weapons. The chemical weapons originally stored at the depot consisted of various live munitions and storage con ...
.
Its inclusion was initially opposed by Oregon, fearing the loss of truck traffic bound for the
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West, or Intermountain Region, is a geographic and geological region of the Western United States. It is located between the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada on the west ...
through
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. Under the initial plan approved by the Washington state government in January 1958, the highway would travel through the Yakima Valley and cross the Columbia River at
Boardman, Oregon
Boardman is a city in Morrow County, Oregon, United States on the Columbia River and Interstate 84. As of the 2010 census the population was 3,220. It is currently the largest town in Morrow County, Oregon.
History
Boardman was homesteaded ...
, bypassing the Tri-Cities region entirely. It was numbered "Interstate 82" in 1958, re-using an older designation for what would become
Interstate 80N (now I-84). In 1959, the Washington State Highway Commission requested that the interstate would follow US 410 across
Naches Pass
Naches Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range in the state of Washington. It is located about east of Tacoma and about northwest of Yakima, near the headwaters of tributary streams of the Naches River on the east and the ...
to
Tacoma and
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, but the proposal was quietly abandoned.
The routing of the freeway's northwestern half was subject to disputes, namely the bypassing of the Yakima River Canyon that was favored by truckers due to its gentler
grades
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance
* Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage
* Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope
Grade or grading may also r ...
.
In 1965, state highway commissioners chose the eastern route through the
Yakima Firing Center, primarily because of its cost and room to support four lanes. A land transfer for from the U.S. Army was approved by Congress in November 1967 to allow for freeway construction near the firing center. A section of the Yakima River Freeway was also planned to pass through part of the
Yakama Indian Reservation
The Yakama Indian Reservation (spelled Yakima until 1994) is a Native American reservation in Washington state of the federally recognized tribe known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The tribe is made up of Klikitat, ...
but the
Yakama Nation
The Yakama Indian Reservation (spelled Yakima until 1994) is a Native American reservation in Washington state of the federally recognized tribe known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The tribe is made up of Klikitat, ...
refused to allow the
condemnation of belonging to its members and filed suit against the state government in 1969.
The
U.S. District Court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...
and
U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals both ruled in favor of the Yakamas, forcing I-82 to be rerouted across the river on non-reservation land.
I-82's chosen route between
Union Gap
Union Gap is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,568. Union Gap has become the retail hub for the entire Yakima Valley as a result of Valley Mall and other thriving businesses be ...
and
Granger
Granger may refer to:
People
*Granger (name)
*Hermione Granger, a fictional character in Harry Potter
United States
* Granger, Indiana
* Granger, Iowa
* Granger, Minnesota
* Granger, Missouri
* Granger, New York
* Granger, Ohio
* Granger, Texas ...
would pass through of the Yakima River's flood plain, attracting criticism from the federal
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
for its potential effects on the area.
The Yakima County government also disliked the routing, arguing that it would destroy hundreds of acres of prime agricultural land. A later attempt by environmentalists to move the freeway farther away from the river, including a potential route along the
Rattlesnake Ridge
Rattlesnake Ridge, known as daʔšədabš to the Snoqualmie people, is the ridge of Rattlesnake Mountain located south of North Bend, Washington, United States. The western end is near the intersection of State Route 18 and I-90 in Snoqualmie, W ...
, was rejected by the state shorelines
hearings board in 1978 due to its extra distance and potential effects on a rare butterfly bog.
Tri-Cities routing dispute
![Interstate 82 and Interstate 182 routing options - Tri-City Herald, March 10, 1974](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Interstate_82_and_Interstate_182_routing_options_-_Tri-City_Herald%2C_March_10%2C_1974.png)
The routing of I-82's southern half was altered several times during the planning process, which lasted until the early 1970s.
Due to complications with the construction of a crossing at Blalock Island that was favored by the
Port of Morrow
The Port of Morrow is the port authority in Boardman, a city in Morrow County, Oregon, United States, on the Columbia River.
History
In 1958, Morrow County residents approved the creation of a port district by general election. A $500 loan ...
, Oregon leaders lobbied for the interstate to cross farther east at the existing Umatilla Bridge.
The Prosser–Umatilla route remained the favored alignment for both states in the early part of the process of identifying alternatives, despite growing opposition from business leaders in the Tri-Cities and
Walla Walla Walla Walla can refer to:
* Walla Walla people, a Native American tribe after which the county and city of Walla Walla, Washington, are named
* Place of many rocks in the Australian Aboriginal Wiradjuri language, the origin of the name of the town ...
who sought an interstate connection.
In 1962, the Washington highway commissioner ordered a new routing study for the I-82 corridor after hearing requests from legislators in the Tri-Cities area. The study produced four general corridors, including alternatives that shifted I-82 closer to the Tri-Cities, traversed the area, and continued southeastward along
Lake Wallula
Lake Wallula is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the United States, between the U.S. states of Washington (U.S. state), Washington and Oregon. It was created in 1954 with the construction of McNary Dam. It reaches from McNary Dam near the city ...
.
The states remained committed to the Umatilla crossing and formally approved the Horse Heaven routing after a two-day public hearing in October 1963. The Tri-Cities and Wallula routes were rejected, in part because of the limited supply of miles allotted by Congress to the Interstate program.
Senator Magnuson and Oregon congressman
Al Ullman
Albert Conrad Ullman (March 9, 1914 – October 11, 1986) was an American politician in the Democratic Party who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1957 to 1981. One of the most influential Oregonians ever to be ele ...
intervened during the federal approval of the routing and called for a re-study.
Magnuson later proposed a bill to add to the Interstate system, including an allotment for the Tri-Cities, but it failed to advance beyond Congressional committees for several years before quietly excluding I-82. In 1968, the federal government authorized $25 million in funding (equivalent to $ in dollars) for the addition.
The new study was funded jointly by the two states and contracted to an independent firm that completed it in September 1966. The study recommended that I-82 be routed through
Pasco and follow Lake Wallula to a junction with I-80N near Pendleton,
fulfilling the general goals of the project despite adding to the highway and costing another $36 million (equivalent to $ in dollars) to construct. Oregon legislators, particularly those representing the Umatilla area, remained opposed to the routing and accused Washington of trying to "pick-pocket" traffic bound for Oregon. The Washington State Highway Commission gave preliminary approval to the Wallula route in December 1967, with support from the regional director of the Bureau of Public Roads, but their Oregon counterpart remained opposed. Oregon governor
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up th ...
met with Senator Magnuson to propose a compromise route that would serve the Tri-Cities and the
Port of Umatilla, which would later form the basis of a new study begun in mid-1968.
In May 1969, the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
(FHWA), the successor to the Bureau of Public Roads, announced a new compromise proposal, routing I-82 through Umatilla and adding a spur route
I-182 to serve the Tri-Cities. The Washington State Highway Commission approved the compromise in July 1969, but the Oregon delegation expressed its support of the Wallula routing after it was modified to terminate farther west near
Stanfield. The FHWA approved the Wallula alignment in October 1971, but protests from environmentalists over potential harm to local wildlife areas, including the
McNary National Wildlife Refuge
McNary National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve, one of the national wildlife refuges operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Extending along the east bank of the Columbia River in southeastern Washington, from the confluen ...
, forced the plan to be reconsidered in early 1973.
The Oregon commission remained opposed to all options that bypassed the Umatilla Bridge, mirroring public opinion from hearings in Pendleton, while the Washington commission considered a narrowed set of options around Umatilla that were both opposed by the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla. Support for the Wallula routing from the Tri-Cities waned in late 1973, allowing for a revival of the I-182 compromise proposed by the FHWA. The Washington commission approved a compromise route along the Horse Heaven Hills connecting Kennewick to the Umatilla Bridge, along with the I-182 spur to the Tri-Cities, in October 1973 and the Oregon commission approved it that December. The Washington state government also created a new state highway, SR 143, that connected the Umatilla Bridge to Plymouth. The FHWA approved the routing decision but as late as 1978, attempts were made to propose new alignments for the freeway in Oregon.
Construction and opening
The first section of I-82 to open was the eastern bypass of Yakima, which was planned as an upgrade to PSH 3 in the 1950s and completed in November 1963. The bypass freeway was later extended southward to
Union Gap
Union Gap is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,568. Union Gap has become the retail hub for the entire Yakima Valley as a result of Valley Mall and other thriving businesses be ...
in August 1965 and northward to Selah in August 1967. The section between Ellensburg and Yakima was funded earlier than scheduled, money being diverted from stalled freeway projects in the Seattle area, and construction began in October 1968.
The $35 million freeway project (equivalent to $ in dollars) required the excavation of approximately 20 million cubic yards () of dirt and facilitated the discovery of a new
geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
that would be monitored for seismic movement.
WSDOT contractors built the longest concrete
arch spans in North America on the
Fred G. Redmon Bridge, which crosses Selah Creek near the city of the same name.
The Ellensburg–Yakima freeway was opened on November 12, 1971, and US 97 was transferred to the new highway and the Yakima Canyon route became
SR 821, a scenic highway.
Major construction in the Yakima Valley began in 1977 with the building of a $5 million section (equivalent to $ in dollars) between
Zillah and Granger, and a bypass of Prosser estimated to cost $7.2 million (equivalent to $ in dollars). Freeway construction was accelerated for sections bypassing the worst stretches of US 410, including winding highways or high-traffic roads. The Zillah–Granger freeway opened in January 1979, and the Prosser bypass opened in late August the same year. I-82 was then extended westward from Prosser to
Grandview in January 1981 at a cost of $19 million. A connection between the existing Yakima Freeway at Union Gap and the Zillah freeway was completed on November 24, 1981, and cost $47 million to construct (equivalent to $ in dollars).
The freeway's construction created an embankment between the Yakima River and surrounding areas, which helped to worsen major floods; it also required the digging of several gravel pits nearby, which were later converted into seven trout-stocked ponds that feed a local
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
population.
The last section of the Yakima Valley Freeway to be built, running from Granger to
Sunnyside and Grandview, was opened to traffic on October 29, 1982, shortly after a dedication ceremony to commemorate the Yakima Valley project.
![Umatilla Bridge from visitors center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Umatilla_Bridge_from_visitors_center.jpg)
The routing of I-82 around the Tri-Cities and to the Umatilla Bridge was approved by the Benton County government in 1972, generally following
SR 14 and bypassing Kennewick to the southwest. Construction on I-82 and I-182 began in 1980, using $340 million (equivalent to $ in dollars) in newly earmarked funds from the U.S. Congress. A short, section bypassing Plymouth and preparing for the new Umatilla Bridge was opened to traffic on August 31, 1981, and cost $5 million to construct (equivalent to $ in dollars). The remaining sections on SR 14 between Plymouth and Kennewick were constructed and paved between 1983 and 1985. US 395 was re-aligned onto the new freeway in 1985, replacing an earlier alignment that traveled through
Wallula
Wallula () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 179 at the 2010 census.
History
The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached this area April 27, 1806, on their return journey from the ...
, while SR 14 was truncated to Plymouth and SR 143 was eliminated. The final section of I-82 within Washington state, spanning from
Kiona to an interchange south of Kennewick, was dedicated on February 23, 1986, and opened the following month. During construction of I-82, a pair of fossilized tusks belonging to a
mastodon
A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...
and
Columbian mammoth
The Columbian mammoth (''Mammuthus columbi'') is an extinct species of mammoth that inhabited the Americas as far north as the Northern United States and as far south as Costa Rica during the Pleistocene epoch. It was one of the last in a line ...
were found by workers near Kiona and Plymouth, respectively, and were excavated by local archaeologists. The existing divided highway between Prosser and Kiona, built in 1960, was upgraded to Interstate standards in 1987 at a cost of $19.2 million (equivalent to $ in dollars).
Construction of the northbound Umatilla Bridge, located upriver from the original bridge, began in 1985. The new bridge cost $16.5 million (equivalent to $ in dollars) and was completed in October 1987 after two years of construction. The final section of I-82, extending between Umatilla and Hermiston, began construction in February 1984 and was dedicated and opened to traffic on September 20, 1988. It was also the final segment of the Interstate Highway system in Oregon, which spanned . The southbound Umatilla Bridge underwent a major $5.2 million (equivalent to $ in dollars) rehabilitation project and re-opened in July 1990. The total cost to construct I-82 was estimated in 1988 to be $317 million (equivalent to $ in dollars), of which $288 million (equivalent to $ in dollars) was spent in Washington and $29 million (equivalent to $ in dollars) was spent in Oregon.
Later years
I-80N was renumbered to
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)
Interstate 84 (I-84) is an Interstate Highway in the Northeaster ...
in 1980 as part of a mandate by
to eliminate
suffixed routes and reduce traveler confusion. The designation of I-82 fell outside the standard numbering scheme for Interstates, which uses comparatively higher numbers for the northernmost east–west routes. A 1970s proposal to renumber I-82 to remain in compliance with the numbering scheme was rejected by the Washington State Department of Highways due to the cost of sign replacement and potential for public confusion.
In 1999, the
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...
passed a bill directing the Oregon Department of Transportation to study a proposal for an extension of I-82 to the
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
or
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
border. The study was completed two years later and outlined three general routes that would replace existing north–south highways in eastern Oregon. The westernmost route would follow
US 97 from
Klamath Falls
Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...
through
Bend and
Redmond to
Biggs Junction, relying on I-84 to complete its connection with I-82. A variation of the route with a direct connection to I-82 near Hermiston would branch off at
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and travel northeastward through a mountainous region along
Route 218 and
Route 207. The easternmost route would follow
US 395 between the California border and Pendleton, passing through a less-densely populated region but serving
Burns Burns may refer to:
* Burn, an injury (plural)
People:
* Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters
Business:
* Burns London, a British guitar maker
Places:
;In the United States
* Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...
and
John Day.
The study found that a new freeway would have little effect on economic growth in eastern Oregon and congestion relief in the
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
, but would provide a suitable alternative route for long-haul travel.
Since the 1990s, the Washington state government has improved or rebuilt several interchanges on I-82, particularly in the Yakima area. In 1998,
SR 823 was extended southward from Selah to northern Yakima via a new road in the median of I-82, whose bridges over the Naches and Yakima rivers were also refurbished. The
Valley Mall interchange in Union Gap was rebuilt from 2009 to 2011 using a series of roundabouts and a loop ramp to replace the existing freeway ramps. In 2010, two overpasses carrying I-82 were demolished and replaced with new structures that would accommodate a future widening project. A separate proposal in the early 2010s included a third lane for I-82 in northern Yakima, but it was postponed in favor of the building of a new interchange and east–west road at the
Cascade Mill development site. A proposal to add
climbing lane
Climbing lanes or crawler lanes are a roadway lane design. They allow slower travel for large vehicles, such as large trucks or semi-trailer trucks, ascending a steep grade. Since climbing uphill is difficult for these vehicles, they can travel in ...
s for trucks on the steep grades in the Manastash Ridge between Ellensburg and Yakima was made in the 2000s and remains unfunded .
I-82's current interchange with
SR 224 in Kiona was rebuilt in 2016 and will be supplemented with a new interchange serving the
Red Mountain AVA
The Red Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes the land surrounding Red Mountain in Benton County, Washington. It is part of the Yakima Valley AVA, which in turn is part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA. Located betwe ...
. Construction of the new interchange, which was intended to divert traffic bound for the winery region and new development near West Richland, was proposed by local politicians in the early 2000s but failed to earn funding from the state. The project was postponed in September 2019 after federal officials stated that the traffic volumes would be too low to justify an interchange.
Exit list
References
External links
*
Interstate 82 at Interstate Guide.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interstate 082
82
82
82
Transportation in Kittitas County, Washington
Transportation in Yakima County, Washington
Transportation in Benton County, Washington
Transportation in Umatilla County, Oregon