KENNEWICK, Wash. – Drivers in Kennewick may soon find relief from traffic congestion on the Blue Bridge as the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reports promising progress on the repainting project.
WSDOT officials say the project is on track and could even finish a month ahead of schedule, with painting expected to be done by Thanksgiving. The project is funded with $33.5 million from a WSDOT bridge preservation fund. The project remains on budget.
Traffic congestion has been a significant issue, particularly between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Andres Mendoza, assistant project engineer for WSDOT, says traffic has improved since the start of the project.
“It seems to be flowing a lot more efficiently than when it first started. Obviously, during our peak hours, there’s still a lot of congestion and we just encourage drivers to continue to zipper merge as best as they can. To use alternative routes if they’re able to,” Mendoza said.
Residents, like Katie White, have experienced the impact of the ongoing construction. White says her husband’s commute to Court Street in Pasco has been significantly affected.
“So it just causes a lot of irritation when you get off work. You want to be home when you’re expecting a ten-minute commute and it turns into a 30, 45-minute commute. Yeah, it’s pretty irritating,” White said.
For the past six months, White’s husband has had to change his route to avoid the Blue Bridge traffic. He has been using alternative routes like the cable bridge or Interstate 182.
Mendoza mentioned that single-lane closures will continue until all equipment is removed from the bridge, which is planned to be done by the end of the year. Depending on the weather conditions, the project completion could be delayed until the end of January.
As the project nears its end, White expressed her anticipation for improved commutes.
“We’re just excited that it’s going to it’s close to being finished. So, yeah, his commute home will hopefully be quicker,” White said.
