Trouble Getting to Richland Racquet Club, Businesses? City Planning Changes

Share

By Chelsea Kopta

Summary

Have you ever driven out to the Columbia Basin Racquet Club in Richland and ran into traffic troubles on Terminal Drive? Action News found out a multi-million dollar project - that's been on the back-burner for years - is now underway to help alleviate some of the problems.

Story Published: Mar 10, 2010 at 7:23 PM PST

RICHLAND, WA -- Terminal Drive certainly lives up to its name. Close to Van Giesen and the Bypass highway, it's the main terminal for a business park there. Thousands pour into the Richland street everyday for the Columbia Basin Racquet Club alone.

But have you ever driven to the Racquet Club and ran into traffic troubles?

"When i'm leaving right after work it's crazy," Fatima Traore said, who works at a company located on Terminal Drive."I am frustrated, obviously, and I know a lot of people are."

That's because rush hour traffic at the intersection of Terminal and Van Giesen has made it nearly impossible to make left turns there. In a half hour, Action News spotted several cars who had difficult times turning left.

"There's no question. It's heavily traveled and very hard to get in and out," Brent Gerry told us, who has a front row seat of the intersection from his business Richland Auto Repair.

Action News found out a multi-million dollar project - that's been on the back-burner for years - is now underway to help alleviate some of the problems.

The City of Richland just contracted with DOT to survey the area. Traffic studies will be done and maps will be drawn up to see what changes work. It's part of a larger project to revamp the whole area. The ultimate goal is an interchange.

"So some of what the DOT is doing is looking: should the Bypass highway go underneath Van Giesen, should Van Giesen go underneath the Bypass?" Richland Engineer Steve Stairs said.

"It would be nice to have a different flow of traffic," Curtis Messer said, a business owner on Terminal.

"I don't care what change they make as long as I can get out of the intersection and go home!" Traore explained.

"I always needs change but where are we going to get the money?" Gerry asked.

Richland has $2 million from a federal grant but the whole project could cost $30 million.Plus, it's not at the top of the city's priority list.

But it's a start on a road that clearly needs it.

City engineers said it'll probably be another six months before the state finishes their work and several years before you'll actually see construction. Other projects are higher priorities like the Duportail Bridge project.