This article is about the current highway.

For the former highway in

Pennsylvania and New York, now part of I-380 and I-80, see Interstate 82
(Pennsylvania–New York). For the proposed highway between Hartford
and Providence, see Interstate 84 in Connecticut § History. For the video
game, see Interstate '82.

Interstate 82

Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Map of Washington and Oregon with I-82
highlighted in red
Route information
Length 143.58 mi[1] (231.07 km)
Existed October 17, 1957–present
History Completed in 1988
Major junctions
West end  I-90 / US 97 in Ellensburg, WA
   US 12 in Yakima, WA
 SR 24 in Yakima, WA
 US 97 in Union Gap, WA
 I-182 / US 12 near Richland,
WA
 US 395 in Kennewick, WA
 US 395 / US 730 in Umatilla,
OR
East end  I-84 / US 30 near Hermiston, OR
Location
States Washington, Oregon
Counties WA: Kittitas, Yakima, Benton
OR: Umatilla
Highway system
• Interstate Highway System
• MainAuxiliarySuffixedBusinessFuture
←  OR 78 OR OR 82  →
 Location
States Washington, Oregon
Counties WA: Kittitas, Yakima, Benton
OR: Umatilla
Highway system
• Interstate Highway System
• MainAuxiliarySuffixedBusinessFuture
←  OR 78 OR OR 82  →
←  SR 41 WA I-90  →
Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region
of the United States that travels through parts of Washington and Oregon.
It runs 144 miles (232 km) from its northwestern terminus
at I-90 in Ellensburg, Washington, to its southeastern terminus
at I-84 in Hermiston, Oregon. The highway passes through Yakima and
the Tri-Cities, and is also part of the link between Seattle and Boise, Idaho.
I-82 travels concurrently with U.S. Route 97 (US 97) between Ellensburg
and Union Gap; US 12 from Yakima to the Tri-Cities;
and US 395 from Kennewick and Umatilla, Oregon.
I-82 primarily serves the Yakima Valley agricultural region, following
the Yakima and Columbia rivers southeastward to the Tri-Cities. The
highway enters the valley from the north by crossing the Manastash Ridge,
which separates Yakima from the Kittitas Valley. I-82 bypasses the Tri-
Cities by traveling southwest around Richland and Kennewick, turning
south to cross the Columbia River on the Umatilla Bridge. Its only auxiliary
route, 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 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, 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 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 (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 further south through eastern Oregon and
towards California, but they were not considered for further study.
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Route description[edit]
I-82 travels 143.6 miles (231 km)[1] through a part of the Inland
Northwest in a generally northwest–southeast direction along
the Yakima and Columbia rivers.[2] The four-lane divided highway forms
part of the link between Seattle and the inland West, which includes Boise,
Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah.[3][4][5] I-82 is a component of the Interstate
Highway System and is also designated as an important national highway
under the National Highway System.[6][7] It is also listed as a Highway of
Statewide Significance by the Washington state government.[8] I-82 has
one auxiliary route, I-182, a spur route that serves the Tri-Cities region.[9] It
also has two child state highways in Washington: State
Route 821 (SR 821) that runs from Selah to Ellensburg, and SR 823 that
runs from Yakima to Selah.[2][10]
I-82 is maintained by Washington State Department of
Transportation (WSDOT) and Oregon Department of
Transportation (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 (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, the terminus at I-90 near Ellensburg, carried 9,100 vehicles.[11] 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.[12]

Yakima Valley[edit]
I-82 begins southeast of Ellensburg, Washington, at a trumpet
interchange with I-90, the state's major east–west freeway.[13] 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 on the southern
edge of the Kittitas Valley.[2] The freeway climbs the Manastash Ridge,
traveling southeastward around Yakima River Canyon, 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.[14] The freeway
reaches its highest point at Vanderbilt Gap, which is 2,672 feet (814 m)
above sea level and only 300 feet (91 m) lower than Snoqualmie Pass on
I-90. From the gap, the highway crosses into Yakima County and turns
southwestward as it begins its descent from the ridge.[15][16]
The Fred G. Redmon Bridge carries I-82 over Selah Creek in the Manastash Ridge
Just north of Selah, I-82 crosses the Fred G. Redmon Bridge, a 325 feet
(99 m)-high, twinned arch bridge 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 1,337 feet (408 m), but lost its record in 1993 to new
bridges in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Franklin, Tennessee.[17] 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.[18] The freeway, which runs parallel to a section of
SR 823 in its median, crosses the Yakima and Naches rivers at their
confluence and enters Yakima.[15][19]
On the southern side of the confluence, I-82 and US 97 intersect US 12, a
major cross-state highway that uses White Pass to travel over the Cascade
Mountains, and begins a concurrency with it.[2] 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 interchange at
the Valley Mall.[20] I-82 continues southward through Union Gap and splits
from US 97 at the eponymous canyon, where it crosses the Yakima River
with US 12.[15][18]
I-82 and US 12 travel southeastward in the shadow of the Rattlesnake
Hills and along the north side of the Yakima River, opposite from US 97
and the BNSF Railway's Yakima Valley Subdivision on the Yakama Indian
Reservation.[21] 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, the latter of which is connected via
an interchange with SR 22 near Buena.[2][21] This section of the highway
also passes through the Yakima Valley agricultural region, which
includes Rattlesnake Hills AVA and Yakima Valley AVA—major areas for
wine and hops production, along with other crops.[22] 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 that
became a roadside attraction.[23][24] Past Zillah, the freeway
intersects SR 223 in Granger and SR 241 southeast of Sunnyside,
bypassing both towns. I-82 continues southeastward
through Grandview and toward Prosser at the edge of the Tri-Cities
metropolitan area in Benton County.[15]

Tri-Cities and Umatilla[edit]

I-82 westbound near Umatilla, approaching a junction with US 395 and US 730

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. 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 near West Richland; 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.[2] I-82 continues southeastward along the edge of the Horse
Heaven Hills to an interchange with US 395 south of Kennewick, where it
forms another concurrency.[2][15] The Kennewick–Plymouth section of the
freeway is also signed as part of the Lewis and Clark Trail, a Washington
state scenic byway.[25]
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.[26] The freeway continues southwestward along
Bofer and Fourmile canyons, descending from the hills and passing
irrigated farmland while approaching the Columbia River. Northeast
of Plymouth, it intersects the eastern terminus of SR 14, a cross-state
highway that follows the Columbia River westward to Vancouver, and
crosses the BNSF Fallbridge Subdivision, which carries Amtrak's Empire
Builder passenger trains.[2][15][21] I-82 and US 395 cross the Columbia
River west of McNary Dam on Umatilla Bridge, which consists of a unique,
multiple cantilever, steel truss bridge carrying the eastbound lanes, a newer
concrete segmental bridge that carries the westbound lanes, and a multi-
use trail for bicyclists and pedestrians.[27][28][29]
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,[30] continues southwestward
across the Umatilla River around central Hermiston.[31] The freeway runs
along the edge of the Umatilla Chemical Depot and terminates at an
interchange with I-84, which is concurrent with US 30, southwest of
Hermiston;[15] I-84 and US 30 continue westward along the Columbia River
toward Portland and eastward to Pendleton and Boise, Idaho.[32]

History[edit]
Predecessor highways[edit]

A section of the concrete-paved Yakima River Canyon Highway (now SR 821), seen

shortly after opening in 1924
Several sections of I-82 follow railroads and wagon roads that were built in
the late 19th century to connect towns in Washington Territory, generally
following early Indian trails.[33] In the 1880s, the Northern Pacific
Railway constructed a railroad along the Yakima River between Ellensburg
and Pasco as part of its transcontinental route to Tacoma via Stampede
Pass.[34][35] The section through Yakima River Canyon between Ellensburg
and North Yakima (now Yakima) bypassed an early toll road constructed by
settler Jacob Durr that traveled further west via Wenas Valley and
Shushuskin Canyon.[36][37]
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.[38] In 1913, at the suggestion of good roads advocates,
the Washington state legislature established the Inland Empire Highway as
one of the trunk routes of its state highway system and appropriated
$301,000 (equivalent to $5.72 million in 2018 dollars)[39] to construct it to
modern standards.[40][41] The highway incorporated several existing and
planned county roads from Ellensburg to Pasco; it then continued eastward
to Walla Walla and northward to Spokane and the Canadian border
near Kettle Falls.[42][43] 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.[37]
The Inland Empire Highway was also incorporated into the Yellowstone
Trail, a national auto trail,[44] 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 to Lewiston, Idaho.[45] 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.[46][47] 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 and continuing southward.[48] A branch
highway between PSH 3 and the Columbia River near Plymouth—across
from Umatilla, Oregon—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.[49][50][51] The Plymouth
extension connected to the Umatilla Bridge, a toll bridge that was built
downstream from the McNary Dam in 1955.[28] US 410 itself was replaced
by a western extension of US 12 that was approved in June 1967.[52]

Planning and early disputes[edit]

The Ellensburg–Pendleton corridor was authorized in 1956 but was not
formally added to the Interstate system until October 17, 1957.[53] The 132-
mile (212 km) corridor was proposed by the Department of Defense and
Washington senator Warren Magnuson in part to connect military facilities
in the Puget Sound region to the Hanford Site and the Umatilla Chemical
Depot but its inclusion was initially opposed by Oregon and Washington.[54]
[55]
 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, bypassing the Tri-Cities
region entirely.[56] It was numbered "Interstate 82" in 1958, re-using an
older designation for what would become Interstate 80N (now I-84).[57]
[58]
 In 1959, the Washington State Highway Commission requested that the
interstate would follow US 410 across Naches
Pass to Tacoma and Aberdeen, but the proposal was quietly abandoned.
[59][60]
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.[54][61] 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.[62] A section of
the Yakima River Freeway was also planned to pass through part of
the Yakama Indian Reservation but the Yakama Nation refused to allow
the condemnation of 10 acres (4.0 ha) belonging to its members and filed
suit against the state government in 1969.[63] The U.S. District Court
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.[54][63]
[64]

I-82's chosen route between Union Gap and Granger would pass through

15 miles (24 km) of the Yakima River's flood plain, attracting criticism from
the federal Environmental Protection Agency for its potential effects on the
area.[65] The Yakima County government also disliked the routing, arguing
that it would destroy hundreds of acres of prime agricultural land.[66] A later
attempt by environmentalists to move the freeway further away from the
river, including a potential route along the Rattlesnake Ridge,[67] was
rejected by the state shorelines hearings board in 1978 due to its extra
distance and potential effects on a rare butterfly bog.[68][69]

Tri-Cities routing dispute[edit]

The original Umatilla Bridge, which now carries the eastbound lanes of I-82, seen from
the Oregon side
The routing of I-82's southern half was altered several times during the
planning process, which lasted until the early 1970s.[70] Due to
complications with the construction of a crossing at Blalock Island that was
favored by the Port of Morrow, Oregon leaders lobbied for the interstate to
cross further east at the existing Umatilla Bridge.[70][71] 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 who sought an
interstate connection.[70][72]
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.[73][74] 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.[70][75] The states remained
committed to the Umatilla crossing and formally approved the Horse
Heaven routing after a two-day public hearing in October 1963.[76] The Tri-
Cities and Wallula routes were rejected, in part because of the limited
supply of miles allotted by Congress to the Interstate program.[77]
[78]
 Senator Magnuson and Oregon congressman Al Ullman intervened
during the federal approval of the routing and called for a re-study.[72]
[79]
 Senator Magnuson later proposed a bill to add 19,000 miles
(31,000 km) to the Interstate system, including an allotment for the Tri-
Cities,[80] but it failed to advance beyond Congressional committees for
several years before quietly excluding I-82.[81][82] In 1968, the federal
government authorized $25 million in funding (equivalent to $141 million in
2018 dollars)[39] for the 28-mile (45 km) addition.[83]
The new study was funded jointly by the two states and contracted to an
independent firm that completed it in September 1966.[84][85] The study
recommended that I-82 be routed through Pasco and follow Lake Wallula
to a junction with I-80N near Pendleton,[70] fulfilling the general goals of the
project despite adding 37 miles (60 km) to the highway and costing another
$36 million (equivalent to $217 million in 2018 dollars)[39] to construct.[86]
[87]
 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.[88] 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,
[89]
 but their Oregon counterpart remained opposed.[90] Oregon
governor Tom McCall 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.[91][92]
In May 1969, the Federal Highway Administration (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.[93] The Washington State Highway Commission approved the
compromise in July 1969,[94] but the Oregon delegation expressed its
support of the Wallula routing after it was modified to terminate farther west
near Stanfield.[95][96] The FHWA approved the Wallula alignment in
October 1971,[97] but protests from environmentalists over potential harm
to local wildlife areas, including the McNary National Wildlife Refuge, forced
the plan to be reconsidered in early 1973.[98]
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.
[99]
 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.[100]
[101]
 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.[102][103][104] The Washington state
government also created a new state highway, SR 143, that connected the
Umatilla Bridge to Plymouth.[105] The FHWA approved the routing decision
but as late as 1978, attempts were made to propose new alignments for the
freeway in Oregon.[70][106]

Construction and opening[edit]

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.[107][108] The bypass freeway was later extended 2 miles
(3.2 km) southward to Union Gap in August 1965 and northward to Selah in
August 1967.[109][110] The 26-mile (42 km) 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.[111][112] The $35 million freeway project (equivalent to
$170 million in 2018 dollars)[39] required the excavation of approximately
20 million cubic yards (15 million m3) of dirt and facilitated the