Project overview
This section of US 12 is located north of the communities of Touchet and Lowden. To maintain access to these communities, two interchanges were constructed with local roads including the existing US 12 at the bottom of Nine Mile Hill and Lower Dry Creek Road. Bridges were constructed to maintain connectivity along Cummins Road, Touchet Road North and Woodward Canyon. New bridges were also constructed to span the Touchet River, Touchet Floodway and Dry Creek.
What to expect
The new section of US 12 between Nine Mile Hill and the Frenchtown vicinity is complete and open to traffic.
The US 12 - Nine Mile Hill to Frenchtown Vicinity Project (Phase 7) constructed a new section of US 12 north of Touchet and Lowden.
Since 2003, WSDOT and the US Highway 12 Coalition have made significant progress toward expanding US 12 to four lanes from Snake River (near Burbank) to Walla Walla. With the completion of this 11-mile project, approximately 10 miles of two-lane, undivided existing highway will remain west of Nine Mile Hill. Completing the US 12 corridor benefits residents, businesses and the traveling public through improved safety, capacity and mobility. In addition, the regional transportation system between the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla will be able to better support the agricultural, viticultural and other freight traffic critical to Eastern Washington's economic vitality.