These Are the Main Tri-Cities Roads You Cannot Walk Along
The Washington State Patrol is trying to educate the public about limited-access highways after a rash of pedestrians getting hit on the interstate.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Daniel Mosqueda posted a video today from Interstate 82 near milepost 31 in Yakima, standing next to the famous "Welcome to the Palm Springs of Washington" sign.
Don't do it. It is illegal, it is extremely dangerous, and WSP has already seen pedestrians struck on these roads, according to the trooper.
Washington State and Limited-Access Highway Laws
Standing on a limited access interstate, he pointed out there are no crosswalks, no sidewalks, no lighting, and no intersections. The roads were built exclusively for the motoring public traveling at highway speeds, and there is no infrastructure designed to protect someone on foot.
He also had a message for drivers: as you enter or exit on-ramps and off-ramps, be aware of your surroundings. Pedestrians have been encountered in places they should never be, and awareness on both sides of that equation matters.
The Law Is Clear in Washington State
Under RCW 46.61.160, all interstates and fully controlled limited access state highways are closed to pedestrians. No exceptions on the mainline. This covers every major limited access route you can think of — I-5, I-90, I-82, I-405, and right here in the Tri-Cities, US 395 and I-182.
Pedestrians are prohibited not just on the main travel lanes but also on the ramps and shoulders of these routes. You can cross over or under a limited access highway at designated city street intersections and sidewalks, but stepping onto the mainline or its ramps in any capacity is illegal and punishable under state law.
What This Means Specifically for Tri-Cities Roads
This is not an abstract warning for somewhere else. The limited access highway network runs directly through our community, and the restrictions apply to routes Tri-Cities residents use every single day.
US 395 through Kennewick and Pasco is a limited access highway.
Pedestrians are prohibited on the mainline, shoulders, and ramps. I-182 connecting Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland is fully restricted to pedestrians in every section.
SR 240 has multiple restricted sections: the bypass around Richland, the overlap with I-182, and the divided freeway section running southeast along the Columbia River into Kennewick at US 395 are all completely off limits to foot traffic.
The only pedestrian access on SR-240 exists in the north Richland and Hanford area sections where at-grade signalized intersections with marked crosswalks are present, places like the Hagen Road intersection.
Everywhere else on the limited access portions, walking is prohibited.
Why People Try It Anyway, and Get Killed
Usually, the choice is made because people are trying to get somewhere and the highway feels like the fastest route between two points.
A gas station visible just off the ramp. A neighborhood on the other side of the interchange. A destination that looks close but requires navigating an on-ramp to reach on foot.
At highway speeds, even a driver who spots someone on foot may not have enough distance to stop or avoid them.
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