Washington State Route 243

State Route 243 (SR 243) is a state highway in Grant County, Washington. It travels north–south along the Columbia River for 28 miles (45 km), connecting SR 24 at the Vernita Bridge to SR 26 near Vantage. The highway travels through a predominantly rural and desert area, serving two hydroelectric dams and the communities of Desert Aire, Mattawa, and Beverly.

State Route 243
A map of Grant County with SR 243 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of SR 24
Defined by RCW 47.17.465
Maintained by WSDOT
Length28.23 mi[1] (45.43 km)
Existed1964–present
Major junctions
South end SR 24 near Desert Aire
East end SR 26 near Vantage
Location
CountiesGrant
Highway system
← SR 241SR 260 →

The highway was established as a branch of Secondary State Highway 7C (SSH 7C) in 1957, to be built uphill from the reservoir of the new Priest Rapids Dam. Construction was completed in the early 1960s and it was re-designated as SR 243 during the 1964 state highway renumbering.

Route description

SR 243 begins at a junction with SR 24 at the north end of the Vernita Bridge, located in the Hanford Reach National Monument. Traffic continuing on SR 24 towards Othello is forced to turn east, while the highway continues northwest as SR 243. The highway turns west and follows the Columbia River upstream, passing a public boat launch and a campground within the Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge.[2] As the terrain transitions from brushland and sand dunes to irrigated farmland,[3] SR 243 turns northwest and passes the Priest Rapids Dam and Wanapum Heritage Center at the south end of Desert Aire,[4] a resort town with its own golf course and public airport.[5][6]

The highway continues north through the vineyards of the western Wahluke Slope and passes a roundabout at the west end of Mattawa.[7] North of Mattawa, the bluffs of the Saddle Mountains cause the river and its valley to narrow, leaving SR 243 to run directly on the eastern bank as it traverses the Sentinel Gap. Near Beverly, the highway passes under the Beverly Railroad Bridge, which carries the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail,[8] and moves away from the river bank to serve Wanapum Village near the Wanapum Dam. SR 243 continues north across the hills overlooking the dam's reservoir, passing through several rock cuts near the Sand Hollow Recreation Area,[9] and descends to an intersection with SR 26, where the highway terminates.[3] The junction is located one mile (1.6 km) south of an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90) at the east end of the Vantage Bridge, where SR 26 itself terminates.[6][10]

The highway is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey of traffic volume on state routes, expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic. Average vehicle counts on SR 243 measured in 2016 ranged from a minimum of 2,800 vehicles near Beverly to a maximum of 4,600 vehicles between Desert Aire and Mattawa.[11]

History

A road following the un-dammed Columbia River from the Priest Rapids to Vantage was built by the early 1910s, roughly along the path of modern SR 243.[12] The state legislature authorized construction of a new state highway between Vantage and the Vernita ferry in 1957 and designated it as a branch of Secondary State Highway 7C (SSH 7C).[13][14] The highway was created to serve the under-construction Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams, the former of which would inundate a section of the old road with its new reservoir.[15] Construction on the highway began later in the year and was completed in the early 1960s,[16][17] shortly before the opening of the Vernita Bridge at its southern terminus with SSH 11A.[18][19] During 1964 state highway renumbering, the Priest Rapids branch of SSH 7C was re-designated as SR 243, while the main route became SR 26.[20]

The intersection with Road 24, a county road that serves as the main entry to Mattawa, had been the site of several major and fatal collisions in the late 2000s, prompting WSDOT to propose construction of a roundabout. The $1.25 million roundabout was the first to be built in a rural area and was subject to opposition from local residents. After it was completed in 2014, the opposing residents apologized for their stance on the project, having adjusted to the change.[21][22]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Grant County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
​0.000.00 SR 24 – Yakima, Richland, Othello
​28.2345.43 SR 26 to I-90 – Vantage, Royal City
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
  1. Multimodal Planning Division (January 3, 2018). State Highway Log Planning Report 2017, SR 2 to SR 971 (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 1206–1208. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  2. "Vernita Bridge Water Access Site". Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  3. "Corridor Sketch Summary – SR 243: SR 24 Jct (Vernita) to SR 26 Jct" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. April 5, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  4. Prengaman, Kate (October 14, 2015). "Wanapum Heritage Center displays history in the making". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  5. AirSide Solutions (January 2006). "Chapter 2: Inventory and Current Activity". Desert Arie Airport: Airport Layout Plan and Narrative Report (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. p. 1. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  6. Google (August 24, 2018). "State Route 243" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  7. Stockley, Tom (September 15, 1985). "Sip-seeing: The time is ripe to visit Washington's vinelands amid the grape harvest". The Seattle Times. p. K1.
  8. Hedges, Marilyn (May 12, 2016). "Crossing Washington on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail". The Wenatchee World. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  9. Pratt, Christine (April 3, 2015). "Wanapum shoreline back in business for warm-season fun". The Wenatchee World.
  10. Washington State Department of Transportation (2014). Washington State Highways, 2014–2015 (PDF) (Map). Olympia: Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  11. 2016 Annual Traffic Report (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. 2017. p. 167. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  12. Beverly Quadrangle, Washington (Topographic map). 1:62,500. United States Geological Survey. June 1912. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  13. "Chapter 172: Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1957. Washington State Legislature. March 21, 1957. p. 640. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  14. "Highway Omnibus Bill Adds 149 Miles of Roadway To State System". Washington Highway News. 6 (12). Washington State Department of Highways. June 1957. p. 4. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved August 30, 2018 – via Washington State Department of Transportation Library Digital Collections.
  15. "Highway 11-A opens to Othello". Washington Highway News. 7 (5). Washington State Department of Highways. December 1957. pp. 5–6. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved August 30, 2018 – via Washington State Department of Transportation Library Digital Collections.
  16. "Highway 7-C Work Slated". Tri-City Herald. July 9, 1957. p. 12.
  17. Beverly Quadrangle, Washington (Typographic map). 1:62,500. United States Geological Survey. 1965. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  18. Morgan, Brian (October 2, 1965). "New Span's Regional Use Underlined at Vernita Rides". The Spokesman-Review. p. 6. Retrieved August 17, 2018 – via Google News Archive.
  19. Priest Rapids Quadrangle, Washington (Typographic map). 1:62,500. United States Geological Survey. 1965. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  20. C. G. Prahl (December 1, 1965). "Identification of State Highways" (PDF). Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  21. Folsom, Geoff (May 31, 2014). "Kennewick to consider its 22nd roundabout". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  22. Hallenberg, Pia (May 3, 2017). "Washington State DOT touts roundabouts". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 24, 2018.

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