37-653: The Vernita Bridge is a bridge on Washington State Route 24 over the Columbia River between Grant County and Benton County , located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Desert Aire and Mattawa, Washington . The bridge is in the Hanford Reach National Monument near the Hanford Site . The weather station near the Vernita Bridge is the location of the highest recorded July temperature in
74-481: A boat launch in the Sunnyside State Wildlife Recreation Area . The highway continues north through Givens Corner and across flat farmland predominately used for herb growing and vineyards . In the southern outskirts of Sunnyside , SR 241 briefly turns east on Alexander Road and north on Waneta Road to intersect I-82 and US 12 at a diamond interchange . The interchange
111-629: A diamond interchange with I-82 and the concurrent US 12 and US 97 . The interchange is located southeast of the Central Washington State Fairgrounds and the SunDome arena. SR 24 travels southeasterly from the interchange as a four-lane divided highway and crosses the Yakima River into unincorporated Yakima County near Yakima Sportsman State Park . The highway narrows to two lanes and continues southeast along
148-595: A dirt road on the north side of the Columbia River between Vernita and White Bluffs, passing through a less-restricted portion of the Hanford Site. The road was built as part of an agreement between the state and federal governments that was negotiated during the lawsuit, as an alternative to re-opening SSH 11A across the Hanford restricted zone. A private toll ferry connecting SSH 11A at Vernita to SSH 7C on
185-530: A large-scale evacuation of the Hanford area. The west end of SSH 11A was truncated to the newly-opened Yakima bypass (part of I-82 ) in November 1963. The Vernita Bridge began construction in October 1964 and was opened to traffic on October 1, 1965, replacing the state-run ferry. The bridge was funded using $ 3 million in bonds (equivalent to $ 22.1 million in 2023 dollars) that were paid off using
222-594: A narrow pass in the hills before reaching the Black Rock Valley, which it continues across. Midway through the valley at the Silver Dollar Cafe, the highway intersects SR 241 , an auxiliary route that travels south towards Sunnyside . SR 24 continues northeast from the junction and enters Benton County , where it climbs a section of the Yakima Ridge and exits the valley. The highway crosses part of
259-456: A new highway along the Columbia River to the east end of the former Hanford ferry. The state government had initially expected the highway to re-open after the war, but continued use of Hanford for weapons and energy development prompted them to file a lawsuit against the federal government to seek reimbursement to fund construction of the new highway around the site. The U.S. District Court 's decision to award only $ 1 in nominal damages in 1952
296-579: A series of passing lanes along SR 24 between Silver Dollar and Cold Creek in response to increased truck traffic. Washington State Route 241 State Route 241 ( SR 241 ) is a north–south state highway serving Yakima and Benton counties in the U.S. state of Washington . The 25-mile (40 km) highway begins at SR 22 in Mabton and travels north to Sunnyside , where it intersects Interstate 82 (I-82) and U.S. Route 12 (US 12). SR 241 continues north into
333-423: A toll of 75 cents to $ 2.50 collected until 1977. During the 1964 state highway renumbering , SSH 11A was divided between three new state highways under the sign route system: State Route 24 (SR 24) from Yakima to the junction with SSH 11G (now SR 17), SR 170 from Ringold on the Columbia River to Mesa , and SR 260 between Mesa and Connell. The Ringold section of SR 170
370-665: Is also the planned location of a new hospital building for the Astria Health system. The highway continues north and crosses over the Central Washington Railroad and the Lower Yakima Valley Pathway trail at an intersection with the Yakima Valley Highway (formerly part of US 12). SR 241 travels around the eastern outskirts of Sunnyside, passing several food processing plants and
407-598: Is designated as a MAP-21 arterial under the National Highway System , a network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility. SR 24 was added to Washington's state highway system in 1937 as Secondary State Highway 11A (SSH 11A), which traveled from Primary State Highway 3 (PSH 3) and US 410 in Yakima to PSH 11 and US 395 in Connell . The highway
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#1733093548514444-598: Is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on the state's highways to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic . The busiest section of the highway, at its interchange with I-82, carried a daily average of 23,000 vehicles in 2016; the least busiest section of the highway, northeast of the Vernita Bridge, carried only 1,100 vehicles. A short section between I-82 and Faucher Road in Moxee
481-666: The Central Washington Railroad , a branch of the BNSF Railway , changing course to bypass the city of Moxee on its south side. SR 24 continues beyond the railroad's terminus and runs deeper into the Moxee Valley, an irrigated area situated between the Yakima Ridge and Yakima Training Center to the north and the Rattlesnake Hills to the south. At the east end of the valley, SR 24 turns northeast and crosses through
518-571: The Fitzner–Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve , a restricted wildlife preserve that forms part of the Hanford Reach National Monument . SR 24 meets SR 240 , a major highway connecting to the Tri-Cities , at the northeast corner of the reserve. SR 24 turns north at the junction and travels along the northwest edge of the Hanford Site , flanked by fences on both sides of the road. The highway descends from
555-464: The Hanford Site . SR 24 terminates to the west at an interchange with Interstate 82 (I-82) in Yakima and to the east at SR 26 in Othello. The highway was added to the state highway system in 1937 as Secondary State Highway 11A (SSH 11A), composed of several county-built gravel roads from Yakima to Connell , with a ferry crossing at Hanford . The Hanford section of SSH 11A
592-542: The Rattlesnake Hills and ends at a junction with SR 24 . Prior to the formal establishment of SR 241 in 1970, the highway between Sunnyside and the Rattlesnake Hills was briefly designated as Secondary State Highway 3V (SSH 3V). SR 241 was moved during the construction of I-82 during the 1980s and was extended south to Mabton in 1991. SR 241 begins as an extension of Boundary Road at an intersection with SR 22 in Mabton , located at
629-485: The Saddle Mountains . Near the former Othello Air Force Station , SR 24 turns north and follows Radar Road through farmland on the outskirts of Othello . After entering Othello, the highway becomes Broadway Avenue and continues through an industrial area before terminating at an underpass with SR 26 . The two highways are connected via an extension of 1st Avenue on both sides of the underpass. SR 24
666-496: The Sunnyside Municipal Airport , before leaving the city. It continues north into rolling farmland on Hanford Road, turning northeast to follow Sulphur Creek as it ascends into the Rattlesnake Hills . Within the Rattlesnake Hills, the highway leaves the creek and crosses barren rangelands and shrub-steppe highlands. SR 241 turns north and northeasterly to follow a pass in the hills and begins its descent into
703-676: The pastures of the Black Rock Valley . The highway briefly crosses into Benton County and re-enters Yakima County while turning northwest to avoid a part of the Yakima Ridge . SR 241 terminates at a junction with SR 24 , the main east–west route between Yakima and the Hanford area, at the Silver Dollar Cafe. SR 241 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey of traffic volumes on state highways measured in terms of annual average daily traffic . Traffic volumes on
740-619: The Columbia River towards Mattawa and Vantage . SR 23 turns northeast and follows the south wall of the Wahluke Slope before traveling due east across the Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge and into Adams County . The highway leaves the Hanford Reach National Monument and forms the boundary between Adams and Franklin counties for several miles, briefly turning to cross a section of
777-600: The U.S. state of Washington is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Washington State Route 24 State Route 24 ( SR 24 ) is a state highway in the south-central region of Washington , in the United States. It travels 79 miles (127 km) from Yakima to Othello , across a portion of the Columbia Plateau . The highway crosses the Columbia River on the Vernita Bridge , located near
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#1733093548514814-617: The Waneta Road interchange on I-82 in 1987, five years after the freeway was completed through Sunnyside. The initial selection of Waneta Road instead of the Sunnyside–Mabton Road was controversial with Mabton residents and officials, who sought to change the state government's tentative plans in the 1970s. The state government ultimately chose the Waneta interchange, but promised improvements to nearby roads to appease Mabton. SR 241
851-464: The east side of the Yakima River had worsened by the late 1990s and prompted the state government to consider a $ 35 million replacement and expansion project. The project was combined with a floodplain restoration plan proposed by the county government in response to a major flood in 1996 and originally considered building a second bridge upriver and realigning the highway. A revised plan placing
888-416: The following decade. The original bridge over the Yakima River was replaced in 1954 by a new span. The state legislature created SR 241 in 1967, assigning it the unsigned designation of Secondary State Highway 3V (SSH 3V). The highway connected US 12 and Sunnyside to SSH 11A in the Rattlesnake Hills. The assignment came during the transition between highway numbering systems , which
925-475: The higher replacement bridge next to the existing crossing, saving costs and environmental mitigation for 7 acres (2.8 ha) of wetlands , was adopted in 2002 and funded by the legislature's 2003 Nickel Program gas tax. Construction on the new bridge and the widened four-lane highway began in May 2005 and was dedicated on June 28, 2007, costing a total of $ 54.5 million. In 2008, the state government also built
962-480: The highway range from a minimum of 1,600 vehicles near its northern terminus in the Rattlesnake Hills to a maximum of 14,000 vehicles at its interchange with I-82. SR 241 follows a section of the 19th-century White Bluffs Road, which connected Sunnyside to the White Bluffs ferry crossing on the Columbia River . A county road connecting Sunnyside to Mabton was constructed by the early 1910s and paved during
999-523: The north side of the river began operating in November 1957 and was taken over by the state in May 1961. The state government completed construction of the paved 8.3-mile (13.4 km) highway along the Wahluke Slope on May 19, 1961, extending SSH 11A to a junction with SSH 11G south of Othello. As part of the agreement with the federal Atomic Energy Commission , the highway was ringed by fences and signs prohibiting parking and loitering, as well as controlled traffic signals that would allow for
1036-554: The northeastern edge of the Yakama Indian Reservation . The highway travels northeast towards downtown Mabton, crossing over a section of the BNSF Railway 's Yakima Valley subdivision, and turns north at Washington Street to follow 1st Avenue on the border between the Yakama Indian Reservation and Mabton. SR 241 leaves Mabton after passing several suburban blocks and crosses over the Yakima River near
1073-527: The plateau by turning west and returning to its northerly course, eventually reaching a rest area on the south shore of the Columbia River . SR 24 crosses the Columbia River on the Vernita Bridge , a 1,982-foot-long (604 m) steel truss bridge downriver from the Priest Rapids Dam . On the north side of the bridge in Grant County , the highway intersects SR 243 , which travels along
1110-503: The state of Washington. This record was achieved when it reached 118 °F (48 °C), in 1928. This is also the site of the hottest April temperature in Washington, 103 °F (39 °C), in 1934. This is the only place in Washington where a temperature of above 100 °F (38 °C) has occurred in April. This happened two times: in 1926 and 1934. This article about a bridge in
1147-544: Was closed in 1943 due to wartime activities at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, forcing the state government to relocate the highway to the north side of the Columbia River. The new highway opened in 1961 and was supplanted by the new Vernita toll bridge in 1965. During the 1964 state highway renumbering , SR 24 replaced most of SSH 11A and was rerouted to a terminus in Othello. SR 24 begins in eastern Yakima as an extension of Nob Hill Boulevard at
Vernita Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-411: Was closed permanently to non-military traffic on November 15, 1943, and divided SSH 11A into two disconnected highways. The rest of the highway had been paved by the state government in the early 1940s, with the exception of a section west of Connell that remained gravel. SSH 11A was relocated in 1953 to a crossing of the Columbia River north of Cold Creek at Vernita and would continue along
1221-465: Was completed in 1970; SR 241 was officially signed, while SR 24 replaced SSH 11A under the new system. Several low-speed curves on sections of the highway were improved to handle higher-speed travel. The three bridges carrying the highway over the Rosa Irrigation Canal system northeast of Sunnyside were rebuilt by the state government in 1977. SR 241 was extended south to
1258-475: Was initially planned to use a cable-operated system, but costs forced it to be downgraded to a tug -and-barge ferry. During World War II , the U.S. military selected the Hanford area as the site of a major weapons development facility and a section of SSH 11A was acquired via a request of the Secretary of War filed on July 21, 1943. The 28-mile (45 km) section, located between Cold Creek and Hanford,
1295-504: Was later transferred to Franklin County in 1967, per a clause in a 1963 highway bill that was triggered by the completion of SR 240 . SR 24 was formally codified in 1970, with its eastern terminus changed to a junction with SR 26 south of downtown Othello. The Othello link was built by the end of the decade, effectively completing all of SR 24. Congestion on a two-mile (3.2 km) section of SR 24 between I-82 and
1332-463: Was preceded by several unpaved roads built by county governments along the corridor by the 1910s, including a road across the Moxee and Black Rock valleys, a ferry across the Columbia River at White Bluffs , and a road continuing to Connell, bypassing Othello . The state government did not improve the gravel county roads that encompassed SSH 11A, but did relocate its toll-free ferry from White Bluffs to Hanford in May 1938. The Hanford ferry
1369-584: Was upheld by a decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals two years later, citing the state's delay in identifying a suitable alternate route. In response, Representative Donald H. Magnuson introduced a Congressional bill to reimburse $ 581,721 to the state (equivalent to $ 4.83 million in 2023 dollars), but it was vetoed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in September 1957. From January 1954 to December 1955, Army Corps of Engineers constructed
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