Existed: 1965 – present Counties: Benton Constructed 1965 | East end: SR 240 in Richland Length 16.33 km County Benton County, Washington | |
 | ||
West end: I‑82 / US 12 in Benton City | ||
State Route 224 (SR 224) is a 10.15-mile (16.33 km) long state highway located entirely in Benton County, Washington, United States. The highway serves to connect SR 225 to Interstate 82 (I-82) and U.S. Route 12 (US 12), and to link Benton City to West Richland and Richland. Before the 1964 state highway renumbering the highway was numbered Secondary State Highway 3R. SR 224 is a lightly traveled rural highway except through Richland, where an average of 16,000 cars traveled the highway daily in 2009. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is currently studying plans to alleviate traffic congestion at the western terminus of the highway, with plans ranging from moving the exit ramp from I-82, creating a roundabout, or adding a traffic light.
Contents
Map of WA-224, Washington, USA
Route description
SR 224 begins at an interchange with I-82 in southern Benton City. After only 0.05 mi (80 m), SR 224 intersects SR 225 and turns east along Kennedy Road. After passing a park and ride lot on the south side of the highway, the road turns back to the north on Van Giesen Street, paralleling the Yakima River, slowly turning northeast through a rural area of Benton County. After passing through farmland SR 224 becomes the main east-west thoroughfare of West Richland. Exiting the town, the highway passes over the Yakima River and enters Richland. Before the highway terminates at an intersection with SR 240 southeast of the Richland Airport, the highway crosses over a single track belonging to the Port of Benton and managed by Tri-City Railroad. Van Giesen Street continues east from the terminus of SR 224 for another 1.7 miles (2.7 km), turning south as Hains Avenue at the Columbia River.
The highway is primarily a two-lane road between Benton City and West Richland. The road expands to four lanes in West Richland, a width the highway remains to its terminus in Richland. Speed limits posted on the highway range from 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).
Every year WSDOT conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2009, WSDOT calculated that as few as 3,200 cars traveled through the intersection at Keene Road, west of West Richland, and as many as 16,000 cars at the eastern terminus.
History
A roadway has connected Benton City to Richland since at least 1926, while a road with an alignment more similar to that of the current highway first appeared on maps in 1939, with termini at the concurrent highways U.S. Route 410 and PSH 3. The highway now known as SR 224 was numbered Secondary State Highway 3R (SSH 3R) between 1937 and the 1964 state highway renumbering, which abolished the Primary and Secondary highway numbers, replacing them with Sign Route numbers, later renamed State Routes.
The twin set of bridges that carry I-82 over the highway at the western terminus were built in 1973, which was during the initial construction of I-82 through southern Washington. The current bridge that carries SR 224 over the Yakima River was constructed in 1993, replacing the original bridge on the highway.
Future
WSDOT is studying several different proposed changes to the SR 224 / SR 225 intersection to improve traffic flow. Several proposals have been introduced to alleviate the situation, including replacing the stop sign at the intersection with a traffic light, reconfiguring the intersection and the off ramp from I-82, and implementing several options featuring roundabouts. WSDOT favors the roundabout options and estimates costs will range between $2 and $7.4 million to construct.
Major intersections
The entire highway is in Benton County.