Is anything being done to address the congestion on the SR 240 By-Pass Highway and George Washington Way?
Yes. The city of Richland is responsible for the oversight, jurisdiction and control of George Washington Way (GWW) and Stevens Drive. SR-240 is a state highway under the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). DOE has talked to city officials and they indicated to us that they have initiatives in progress for improving traffic light synchronization and the overall traffic flow. We expect to see improvements by the end of the year. WSDOT has coordinated the signals on the By Pass and we have worked with Richland city officials to coordinate theirs on Stevens. The city continues making minor tweaks to the signals, but there is no more “green time” to give to northbound and southbound traffic on SR-240. The city will eventually have to accommodate the demand on the streets that cross SR-240 (e.g., Van Giesen, Duportail, Swift Street). During the afternoon traffic peak, the volume is too great for this southbound three-lane signalized corridor to handle.
