Final phase of Highway 12 expansion facing budget challenges

WALLA WALLA – The long-awaited transformation of U.S. Highway 12 into a four-lane thoroughfare connecting the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla is entering its final stages, though a significant funding gap remains.

Brian White, regional administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) South Central Region, provided an update on the multi-phase project during a Washington State Transportation Commission meeting last week.

Starting in 2003, the project successfully completed seven of its eight planned phases. The most recent, Phase 7, concluded two years ago through a design-build contract with Atkinson Construction.

Phase 8, the final 13-mile corridor, will extend from the end of Phase 7 to Attalia. The project is technically complex, featuring:

• Six signature bridge structures over deep valleys.
• Infrastructure through agricultural land, requiring careful coordination.
• A new interchange at Attalia, near the local paper plant.

WSDOT has officially begun the design process for this phase, with plans to finalize it by 2027.

While a $108 million federal grant was recently secured through a joint effort by the Port of Walla Walla, the city, and the county, the project still faces a $236 million shortfall for total construction.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidelines require projects to demonstrate independent utility, meaning the funded portion must be functional on its own. Local officials are currently in Washington, D.C., advocating for flexibility to use the existing grant for the Attalia interchange and Nine Mile Hill improvements while they secure the remaining balance.

WSDOT continues to collaborate with local tribes, utilities, and the Washington State Patrol as they finalize the design this summer.

Map of US 12 – Phase 8 courtesy WSDOT

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Elkhorn Media Group