U.S. 12 Phase 7 gets closer to opening

By Terry Murry on Friday, March 31st, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

WALLA WALLA – The Washington State Department of Transportation reports the contractor has resumed work on the U.S. 12 Nine Mile Hill to Frenchtown Vicinity Phase 7 project, located north of the communities of Touchet and Lowden. The contractor hopes to open the new four-lane highway before Memorial Day, however WSDOT South Central Region Communications Manager Meagan Lott said scheduling and weather could delay the opening until June.

“As we get closer to opening the new highway, the contractor will need to have closures to tie into the new highway with the existing U.S. 12,” Lott added.

When that happens, WSDOT will be sending out travel advisories to let the public know. The $166 million Phase 7 project began construction in 2020.

As for Phase 8, the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners will meet today (Friday) at 1:15 p.m. to sign a letter to state lawmakers regarding funding the approximately 10 miles of a new four-lane divided highway from Wallula to Nine Mile Hill.

While Phase 8 is still in the early design phases, Lott said the House of Representatives and Senate have both released their budgets with differing projections of where funding is for the project.

“Ultimately, we won’t know the next steps for Phase 8 until the Governor signs the budget in mid-April,” Lott said.

Phase 7 photo via WSDOT