Transportation and Commuting Patterns

Benton County is strategically located at the nexus of several main transportation routes for the region, including highways, rail, rivers, and air travel.

Benton County contains several key regional highways. The County is traversed east-west by Interstate 82, passing south of the cities of West Richland, Richland, and Kennewick. I-82 links Benton County with I-90 to the north and west through Yakima, and to I-84 to the south in northern Oregon. The Tri-Cities area is connected directly to I-82 via I-182, which passes through Pasco, across the Columbia River, and through the City of Richland, crossing the Yakima River. The limited access interstate highways servicing the Tri-Cities carry between 30,000 and 50,000 vehicles per day. Other major highways passing through the County include

Benton-Franklin CERT members practice fire suppression techniques Highway 395 and Highway 12. Highway 395 links Hermiston, Pendleton, and parts south in Oregon with the Tri-Cities and northbound traffic to Spokane and the Canadian border. Highway 12 links the Puget Sound area with the Midwest United States. Other routes of significance to the County include Route 240 from Kennewick through Richland and into the Hanford Site, Route 24 from Yakima in Yakima County entering Benton County and the Hanford Site from the west, and Route 14 following the northern bank of the Columbia River from McNary Dam west (downriver). Route 221 links Paterson with Prosser, and provides access to the southwestern portion of Benton County. Other State- and County-maintained roads provide critical access to local communities.

Ben Franklin Transit provides community route bus service throughout the area. This bus service radiates from the Bob Ellis/Knight Street Transit Center providing local service within the Richland city limits and transportation to the neighboring communities of West Richland, Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. The Tri-Cities area is served by more than 35 local, regional and national trucking lines. Several taxi and limousine services operate in the Richland area. Greyhound Bus Lines also serves the Tri-Cities.

Benton County is served by two national freight rail carriers, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and the Union Pacific (UP). Both rail carriers operate intermodal freight terminals in the Tri-Cities area, and provide mainline freight rail service to 35 states. In addition, the northwest regional hub for the BNSF is in Pasco. A BNSF rail spur across the Yakima River into Richland services the Port of Benton.

Benton County’s location on the Columbia River provides direct access to the Columbia-Snake River System – one of the most modern intermodal transportation networks in the country. This commercial waterway extends from the Pacific Ocean over 465 miles into eastern Washington and Idaho, and includes eight dam and lock complexes. This transportation system is accessed through the Port of Benton, the Port of Kennewick, and the Port of Pasco.

The Port of Benton includes over 6,000 feet of Columbia River frontage on the west bank of the River in Richland. The area is zoned for heavy industrial use, and includes dock facilities near the north end of the site. The Port of Benton is frequently used for special shipments of large items, heavy equipment, and construction materials destined for the DOE Hanford Site to the immediate north. Several years ago, a fire destroyed the railroad trestle connecting the Port of Benton rail lines to locations outside the City of Richland. A number of businesses suffered loss of revenue while the trestle was being replaced.

The Port of Kennewick owns property zoned for heavy industrial use at various locations along the Columbia River, primarily in or southeast of Kennewick. The Port has completed environmental work and permits for construction of two barge docks, one at their Hover site and one below McNary Dam at river mile 288. In addition, several private dock facilities are maintained and operated by industries located in the area.

There are also extensive facilities for containerized cargo as well as bulk cargo at the Port of Pasco (in Franklin County).

Benton County is served by four public airports, seven private airports, and six heliports. The Tri-Cities Airport (in Pasco) provides commercial air carrier service to the County. The Richland Airport is a commuter airport. The Prosser Airport and Vista Field in Kennewick are general aviation airports.

Employment at the Hanford Site and among related contractors with offices in Richland have a dominant influence on commuting patterns in the Tri-Cities area. SR 240, which originates at US 395 in Kennewick, links Richland and Kennewick and provides a western bypass route around Richland to the Hanford Site. Other key access routes to Hanford are through the older downtown section of Richland on George Washington Way, and from the northwest on SR 24 connecting to SR 240. Some of the major Hanford Site-related employers use staggered working hours to reduce traffic delays; however, minor local traffic backups do occur during the primary morning and evening commutes.

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