U.S. Route 97 in Washington
U.S. Route 97 in the U.S. state of Washington is a route which traverses from the Oregon state line at the northern end of the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge in Maryhill, north to the Canada–US border in Okanogan County near Oroville. The highway serves major cities such as Goldendale, Yakima, Ellensburg and Wenatchee before continuing towards the Alaska Highway at the Yukon border as British Columbia Highway 97. Along the length of the roadway, US 97 is concurrent with State Route 14 in Maryhill, Interstate 82 and US 12 between Union Gap and Ellensburg, I-90 briefly in Ellensburg, US 2 between Peshastin and rural Douglas County and SR 20 near Omak. An alternate route connects the highway with Chelan.
The first segment of what is now US 97 in Washington to be included in the state highway system was a road extending from Wenatchee to Twisp, designated in 1897. Since, four early highways formed the modern route of the roadway: State Road 8, State Road 3, State Road 2 and State Road 10, all signed in 1923. The United States Numbered Highways were established in 1926 and US 97 was co-signed with all four state roads, including two concurrencies with US 410 and US 10. The state roads became Primary state highways in 1937, keeping their numbers from the previous system and US 10 was moved south in 1940 and its original alignment, including the concurrency, became US 2 in 1946. The Sam Hill Memorial Bridge, originally named the Biggs Rapids Bridge, was first opened on November 1, 1962, but the river has been crossed by a ferry at the same location since the early 1920s. During the 1964 highway renumbering, all four highways were replaced by US 97 and in 1956, the Interstate Highway System was established, including two highways concurrent with US 97. US 12 replaced US 410 during its extension west in 1967. In 1987, US 97 was moved across the Columbia River in Chelan County, establishing US 97 Alternate and decommissioning SR 151. Until 2006, US 197 was co-signed with SR 14 between Dallesport and Maryhill. The bridge deck was replaced between 2007 and 2009 and the bridge was closed in 2008. Five other minor projects, such as repavings and sidewalk additions, have already been completed, but eight projects have yet to be completed.
Route description
US 97 is a major highway in Washington that spans and consists of mostly two lanes; it is undivided except for the sections that are in urban areas, such as Wenatchee and concurrent with I-82 and I-90. The entire route from the Oregon state line to the Canada–US border is part of the National Highway System, a system of roadways considered important to the nation's economy, defense and mobility. At the southern terminus of the I-82 – US 12 concurrency in Union Gap, US 97 had an estimated daily average of 20,000 motorists in 2007, making it both the busiest segment of the highway in Washington and the fifth busiest segment of U.S. routes in Washington. The busiest segment of US 97 in 1970 was at Main Street in Selah, with a daily average of 17,100 motorists.on the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge, visible in the background.
US 97 begins at the Oregon state line over the Columbia River on the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge. After exiting the bridge, the highway enters Maryhill, passes the Maryhill State Park and crosses railroad tracks on the Vancouver–Pasco route operated by BNSF Railway. From the crossing, the roadway becomes briefly concurrent with State Route 14 west for before turning north to intersect SR 14 Spur and leaving the Maryhill area.
From Maryhill, the road curves northeast and later north to pass Centerville and bypass Goldendale to intersect SR 142. US 97 then turns northeast through Brooks Memorial State Park and entering the Yakama Indian Reservation passes over Satus Pass then coming out of the Cascades into the Yakima Valley passes the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge and Toppenish, where it intersects SR 22 and Fort Road, which was SR 220 until 1991. After leaving Toppenish in a northwestern direction, the highway parallels the Tacoma–Pasco route of the BNSF Railway and the Interstate 82 – US 12 concurrency briefly past Wapato and some minor roads to also parallel the Yakima River and enter Union Gap, where the roadway joins the I-82 and US 12 concurrency.
on the Fred G. Redmon Bridge north of Selah.
From the interchange in which US 97 joins the I-82 / US 12, numbered exit 37, the freeway interchanges with many minor streets in Union Gap and some major highways, including a state route, in Yakima, including Valley Mall Boulevard at exit 36, SR 24 and Nob Hill Boulevard at exit 34, Terrace Heights Way and Yakima Avenue at exit 33; at exit 31, US 12 ends its long concurrency at the southern terminus of SR 823. After leaving Yakima, the highway enters Selah and interchanges with SR 823 and Rest Haven Road and then later leaves the city after interchanging Selah Road to cross Selah Creek on the Fred G. Redmon Bridge. Approaching Ellensburg, the roadway interchanges with SR 821 at exit 26, Military Road at exit 11 and the northern end of SR 821 at exit 3 before entering Ellensburg. I-82 later ends its concurrency and route at I-90, were a brief concurrency begins.
The I-90 concurrency begins at exit 110, which is a trumpet interchange. Then, I-90 / US 97 interchanges Canyon Road at exit 109 and then US 97 leaves the concurrency at exit 106. From I-90, the highway turns northwest, passing SR 10 southeast of Thorp, a railroad track owned by BNSF Railway, and SR 970 in Virden to Blewett Pass, where US 97 crosses the Cascades. At Peshastin, the roadway starts its concurrency with US 2 at a diamond interchange.
From Peshastin, US 2 / US 97 parallels another BNSF route and passes Dryden and Cashmere before entering Wenatchee and intersecting Washington State Route 285 and later US 97 Alternate. After the intersection with US 97 Alternate, which is actually a partial cloverleaf interchange, the roadway crosses the Columbia River on the Richard Odabashian Bridge into East Wenatchee, where it intersects SR 28, turns north and starts to parallel the Wenatchee—Oroville route of the Cascade and Columbia River Railroad. After paralleling the Columbia River, US 2 leaves the concurrency at Orondo. The road continues north and later east along the Columbia River from Orondo to Chelan Falls, where US 97 once again crosses the Columbia River, on the Beebe Bridge and then intersects SR 150. After leaving Chelan Falls, the highway follows the Columbia River and passes the northern terminus of US 97 Alternate, which goes west to Chelan, and continues north to intersect SR 153 south of Pateros. After leaving the city, the roadway travels northeast to Brewster, where it intersects SR 173.
After leaving Brewster, US 97 crosses the Okanogan River and passes Anderson Field to intersect SR 17 north of Fort Okanogan State Park. From SR 17, the highway parallels the Okanogan River north past Monse and Malott to Okanogan, where the roadway enters the Colville Indian Reservation and starts a long concurrency with SR 20. From the beginning of the concurrency, the road crosses a railroad and intersects SR 155. US 97 / SR 20 then crosses over SR 155 on a bridge and crosses the Okanogan River.
After the crossing, the roadway leaves Omak, along with the Colville Indian Reservation and intersects SR 215. From SR 215, the highway continues north past North Omak and Riverside to cross the Okanogan River again and enter Tonasket, where SR 20 leaves the concurrency. After leaving Tonasket, the road continues north along the Okanogan River to Oroville, the last major community on US 97 before the border. The Okanogan River becomes Osoyoos Lake at this point and the highway parallels the lake to the Canada–US border, where the roadway becomes British Columbia Highway 97 and continues north towards Alaska.
History
Late 19th and early 20th centuries
The first segment of US 97 to be included in Washington's state highway system was a roadway extending from Wenatchee to Twisp, although the US 97 segment ended in Pateros, established in 1897. In 1905, another road from Pateros to Okanogan was added to the system, which would be extended to the Canada–US border in 1907. That roadway from Wenatchee to Canada, was named the Wenatchee-Oroville Road and numbered State Road 10. A different road, located along the Oregon state line on the Columbia River, was established as State Road 8, the Columbia River Road and ran north from Maryhill to Goldendale.Six years later, in 1913, State Road 7 was created on a Virden–Wenatchee route. The Inland Empire Highway was established in 1915 and the section it overlapped with present-day US 97 ran from Buena northwest to Ellensburg. State Road 2 replaced State Road 7 in 1919 and a branch, the Southern Division of the Sunset Highway, was established in 1919 and ran south from State Road 2 at Virden to Ellensburg.
During the early 1920s, a ferry was established over the Columbia River between Biggs Junction, Oregon and Maryhill. State Road 8 between Goldendale and Buena was established in 1923. US 97 was established along with the rest of the U.S. routes in 1926, including US 10 and US 410, which were concurrent with US 97. All state roads became Primary state highways in 1937 and they kept their numbers; a branch of Primary State Highway 8 was also established, connecting the Maryhill ferry to PSH 8 in Maryhill. Another concurrency was added in 1946, when US 2 was extended west, co-signed with US 97 between Peshastin and Wenatchee.
Late 20th century
On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law, establishing a system of freeways that would later become the Interstate Highway System. Included in the system were Interstate 82 and I-90, which were to be concurrent with US 97. The Biggs Rapids Bridge was opened on November 1, 1962, replacing the ferry that had been operating on the route since the early 1920s. A new system of highways was introduced in 1964 and ultimately caused US 97 to replace the Primary state highways.US 410 was replaced by a western extension of US 12 in 1967, when the highway's western terminus was moved to Aberdeen. In 1973, a segment of US 97 between Selah and Ellensburg was realigned east away from the Yakima River and onto I-82, while the former route became SR 821. Between US 97 / US 10, which would later be decommissioned by 1970, near Thorp and US 97 in Virden, there was a SR 131. In 1975, to reduce the SR 10 concurrency, US 97 replaced SR 131 and the old route became SR 10 and SR 970. SR 131 would later be routed on another route in the Randle area in 1991. Within Selah, US 97 was also moved onto I-82 away from the city, so the old route became SR 823 in 1984. Prior to 1987, US 97 ran on the west side of the Columbia River between Wenatchee and Chelan, while SR 151 ran on the east side. US 97 was moved onto SR 151 in 1987 and the old US 97 became US 97 Alternate.
Early 21st century
Beginning in 2006, the Washington State Department of Transportation has completed five construction projects on the US 97 corridor, ranging from a bridge deck replacement in Maryhill to repaving the roadway between Oroville area and Canada. Construction on a three-part project to install guardrails on dangerous portions of the highway began on May 16, 2006. The project was finished on August 17, 2006 and improved a segment near Blewett Pass, a section in the Colville Indian Reservation and a segment between Riverside and Oroville.Prior to October 5, 2006, US 197, an auxiliary route of US 97, ended at US 97, co-signed with SR 14, in Maryhill. On October 5, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials decommissioned US 197 between Dallesport and Maryhill. Between 29 May and September 28, 2007, WSDOT repaved the roadway between Cordell, located south of Oroville, and the Canada–US border. In July 2008, WSDOT completed installing guardrails on the road in Klickitat County. Between August 11 and December 5, 2008, WSDOT added sidewalks and illumination along a long stretch of the highway between Main Street and SR 173 in Brewster.
Since the opening of the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge in 1962, the bridge has used a lightweight concrete and asphalt bridge deck. Now, the bridge is a heavily used truck route and requires a heavy concrete deck. In late 2006, a replacement project was planned and the estimated $16 million USD cost was split between the governments of Washington and Oregon. The whole bridge was replaced by WSDOT, including the Oregon side. The project was accelerated to Fall 2007, but the bridge wasn't closed until January 2, 2008. During construction on January 15, approximately 8:00, a worker was seriously injured after an excavator fell into the Columbia River. After the area was cleaned, the project resumed on January 23 and a worker died after falling off the bridge on February 26. By April, half of the new deck was complete and the bridge was reopened on 19 May, at 18:00. Although the bridge was reopened, it was once again closed on September 3 for more repairs. The bridge was reopened on December 24 and all roadwork was completed on March 23, 2009.