The Most Dangerous Two Miles of Highway in Washington State

If you live in Tri-Cities, Washington, you might already know how much the Tri-Cities area has grown over the years.

The Trouble with Travel: Why US 395 and SR 240 Top Washington's Worst List

Growing like a weed, I like to say, which means traffic congestion. There are several places in the Columbia Basin that you don't want to drive during rush hours.

The Bypass Highway over in Richland can be brutal, but even that stretch of highway isn't considered the most dangerous in Washington State.

Navigating the Perils of US 395 and SR 240 in Washington State

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I once worked in Seattle, and I always thought the area between Fife and Tacoma could be a little scary, as you go by the Tacoma Dome, it can get backed up for miles and miles.

For me, these days, coming down 395 into Pasco on mornings can be a little dangerous as folks come flying down the highway onto the Blue Bridge.

I've since discovered that there are two miles of highway in Washington State considered the "most dangerous," and yes, it's here in the Tri-Cities.

I pulled some statistics from the WSDOT website, and you can see how the levels of congestion and accidents have increased dramatically over the years:

Severe congestion on US 395 and SR 240 in the Tri-cities area worsened in 2023 compared to 2022, approaching pre-pandemic levels.

Commuters traveling on SR 240 between I-182 and Stevens Road experienced severe congestion with speeds of 36 mph or less:

• At 7:50 a.m. on 44.2% of weekdays in 2023, up from 25.0% in 2022.

Likewise, travelers experienced less severe congestion southbound on SR 240 between Stevens Road and I-182:

• At 4:45 p.m. on 69.6% of weekdays in 2023, compared to 71.2% in 2022.

Commuters traveling from Pasco to Kennewick on US 395 experienced more severe congestion speeds of 36 mph or less:

• At 5:20 p.m. on 41.5% of weekdays in 2023, compared to 29.6% in 2022.

The WSDOT doesn't have updated numbers for 2024 yet, but you can tell that congestion has grown a lot.

There are seven on-ramps within this two-mile segment, many of which have limited visibility and merge directly into fast-moving traffic.

For instance, the Lewis Street on-ramp merges into the fast lane, requiring drivers to quickly shift lanes to continue on US-395 or to exit onto SR-240

So the numbers don't lie, the most dangerous two-mile stretch of road in Washington State is right here in the Tri-Cities.

READ MORE: The 10 Most Dangerous Intersections In Tri-Cities, Washington