WSDOT Projects

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Project Facts

• An average of 33,000 to 39,000 vehicles travel daily on this urban section of I-82.

• The City of Union Gap’s Valley Mall Boulevard extension project will likely bring additional traffic to the interchange area.

• TRANS-action, a coalition of local governments, agencies, and businesses, selected this interchange improvement project as one of three top priority regional transportation needs.

This interchange provides access to and from I-82 for Union Gap and Yakima. WSDOT needs to update and improve the interchange in order to provide additional capacity, free up movement on and off the interstate, and connect smoothly with the expanding local road system.

Why is WSDOT improving the interchange?
The Valley Mall Boulevard interchange serves a growing retail and commercial area in Union Gap and southwest Yakima. The area is experiencing increasingly heavy traffic congestion, which begins with the limited capacity of the Valley Mall Interchange.

Our Partners
This project is in the early stages. Local city, county and WSDOT officials are planning collaboratively with area business owners to bring about this much needed improvement. A public meeting was held in March 2003 to request public opinion regarding several conceptual design options.

The End Result
The Valley Mall Boulevard interchange will be reconfigured to provide better, more direct access to and from I-82, and access to N. Rudkin Rd. A frontage road serving trucking and commercial businesses will be realigned to provide a conventional intersection.  Improved connections to the interstate will encourage economic growth and development for both Union Gap and Yakima.

Project Benefits

• Economic vitality. Local community and business leaders targeted improving this interchange and the South Union Gap interchange as a top priority for economic growth and vitality. Congestion and lack of easy access will limit the development of additional retail and commercial business. Improved freeway access to and from the newly extended Valley Mall Boulevard will open up new areas for development.
  
• Freight mobility.  These improvements will provide better interstate access for five local T-2 (4 million - 10 million tons of freight carried per year) and T-3 (300,000 - 4 million tons of freight carried per year) classified freight routes, including N. Rudkin Road, W. Ahtanum Road, and E. Washington Avenue.
  
• Safety.  Unsafe conditions due to ramp traffic backing-up onto I-82 will be eliminated with the new configuration.  Better traffic flow in the interchange area will reduce accidents due to congestion and impatient drivers.
  
• Congestion relief.  This interchange frequently becomes a chokepoint because of its limited capacity.  This improvement will eliminate congestion backing up onto I-82, and provide much improved free-flowing access onto the interstate.  Vehicles will be able to travel through the interchange more efficiently and safely with the improved geometrics.
  
• System efficiencies.  The improved configuration will require fewer traffic signals, which will optimize travel through the interchange and on Valley Mall Blvd. as well.
  
• Health/Environment.  Access to the local ten-mile long Yakima Greenway pedestrian/bicycle path will be improved, which will further encourage healthy activities for the community.  The Greenway path reaches parks, fishing lakes, and river access landings.

What is the project timeline?
Design work has started with the construction phase scheduled to begin in 2010.

Public Involvement
Your thoughts and opinions are important to us. A public meeting was held on March 13, 2003, to solicit local comments. We anticipate additional public meetings as the project progresses. Please contact the WSDOT design office with comments or questions.

Environmental Protection
The appropriate environmental documentation will be completed for the project to address potential environmental issues. As preliminary designs are refined, environmental issues will be evaluated and appropriate mitigation developed. WSDOT is committed to protecting the environment, and makes every effort to assess and minimize negative impacts from highway improvement projects.
Please visit the WSDOT Environmental Services Web site for more information.

Increasing safety is one of our priorities
Improving capacity for the interchanges and providing more efficient connections to the local road system will improve traffic flow, lessen conflicts, and improve safety for this busy area.

Will this project impact tribal resources?
At WSDOT we seek to address the concerns of the tribal nations using the process outlined in Section 106 of The National Historic Preservation Act and the WSDOT Tribal Consultation Policy adopted in 2003 by the Transportation Commission as part of the WSDOT Centennial Accord Plan.

The project is so early in pre-design that the tribal consultative process has not yet begun. WSDOT will work closely with area tribal officials to identify and avoid culturally sensitive areas within the corridor. For more information visit our WSDOT Tribal Liaison website.

Financial Information
This project is funded through the following sources*:

• 2005 Transportation Partnership Package - $31.5 million
• Existing Funds - $2.8 million
• Total Funding Available from all sources - $34.3 million

*As approved in the 2008 Supplemental Transportation Budget.

For project schedules and updates, please see the Quarterly Project Report.

How can I get more information?
Contact:
Development Branch Project Engineer, Jeff Minnick 
WSDOT South Central Project Office
PO Box 12560
Yakima, WA 98909
Phone: 509.577.1704
E-mail:minnicj@wsdot.wa.gov

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