Decades-long Highway 12 expansion sees ‘light at the end of the tunnel’

More than $108.5 million. That’s how much Walla Walla County is receiving from the U.S. Department of Transportation. That’s also the largest rural grant of its kind that the agency has ever given. 

The money will help widen the section of U.S. Highway 12, between Wallula and Nine Mile Hill, from two lanes to four. It will also add a divider between the lanes. 

That will improve road safety and freight mobility, said Pat Reay, the executive director of the Port of Walla Walla, thereby smoothing travel for residents, crops, tourists and commuters alike. 

The new route will bypass the current one, ultimately shortening the distance between Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities. Reay said it should save the average person at least five minutes. 

While safety was the No. 1 motivation, Reay said the project will also help the local economy. His agency estimates the improved road will help the Wallula Gap Business Park draw 2,000 jobs and nearly $10 billion in private investment. 

“This grant couldn’t have come at a more important time,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, who pushed for the award, in a statement. “Highway 12 is the transportation backbone of the region, and this infrastructure investment will help it become a manufacturing and economic hub — which is going to bring lots of new, permanent, good-paying jobs.” 

Widening Highway 12 between Burbank and Walla Walla has been a regional priority since as far back as the late 1970s, Reay said. He noted that most other Washington cities of Walla Walla’s size are accessible via a four-lane highway. 

Reay himself has been involved in the road makeover for more than 20 years, overseeing construction in seven different stages. He’s excited to see the final one begin. 

“About every two to five years, we get another chunk of funding and take on another phase,” Reay said. “So it’s been a long-term transportation project and hopefully we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”  

Construction can’t begin until the project is fully funded — and there’s $281 million to go. Still, the recent grant was a critical boost.

“It’s a huge down payment,” Reay said. “It’s always one of those, you gotta get the first dollar before you get the last dollar. And so we’re on our way.” 

Reay said he’ll soon be traveling to Olympia to hopefully secure additional funding from the state.

As for the Washington State Department of Transportation, it’s already begun design work. The agency hopes the new road will be open by 2027.