Washington State Route 221

{{Short description|State highway in Benton County, Washington, US}}

{{Infobox road

|state=WA

|type=WA

|route=221

|section=425

|map=Washington State Route 221.svg

|length_mi=25.95

|length_ref=

|length_round=2

|established=1964

|direction_a=North

|terminus_a={{jct|state=WA|WA|22}} at Prosser

|direction_b=South

|terminus_b={{jct|state=WA|WA|14}} at Paterson

|previous_type=WA

|previous_route=215

|next_type=WA

|next_route=223

|spur_type=WA

|spur_of=22

|counties=Benton

}}

State Route 221 (SR 221) is a {{convert|25.95|mi|km|adj=on}} long state highway located entirely within Benton County, Washington, United States. The highway serves to connect the unincorporated community of Paterson to the county seat Prosser. The highway has existed since at least 1926 and was designated as Primary State Highway 8E from 1937 until the 1964 renumbering of Washington state highways.

Route description

SR 221 starts at an intersection with SR 14 in the unincorporated community of Paterson. After leaving Paterson the highway travels north through rural farm land as a two-lane highway. A few minor roads are intersected before the roadway turns to the west after about {{convert|17|mi|km|abbr=on}}, before turning back to the north. After the highway resumes its northerly course it descends from the Horse Heaven Hills, with a passing lane through the uphill segments, before finally terminating at SR 22 in south Prosser.{{cite map|publisher=Rand McNally|title=The Road Atlas|year=2009|cartography=Rand McNally|scale=1 in ≈ 20 mi|page=109|section=K14 - L14|isbn=978-0-528-94219-8}}

Every year the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2009, WSDOT calculated that as few as 2,000 cars traveled through the central part of the highway, and as many as 2,500 cars at the interchange with SR 22.{{cite web|url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tdo/PDF_and_ZIP_Files/Annual_Traffic_Report_2009.pdf|title=2009 Annual Traffic Report|publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation|page=161|access-date=October 26, 2010|archive-date=June 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616135639/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tdo/PDF_and_ZIP_Files/Annual_Traffic_Report_2009.pdf|url-status=dead}}

History

The roadway on its current alignment has existed since at least 1926,{{cite map|publisher=Automobile Club of Washington|title=Horse Haven Quadrangle|url=http://kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm-maps/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmaps&CISOPTR=382&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%2520prosser&DMTHUMB=0&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=235&y=97|access-date=October 25, 2010|year=1926|cartography=Brokaw, S. E.|archive-date=July 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720121656/http://kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm-maps/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmaps&CISOPTR=382&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%20prosser&DMTHUMB=0&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=235&y=97|url-status=dead}} however there are records of a road between Paterson and Prosser since 1906.{{cite map|publisher=United States Geological Survey (USGS)|title=Blalock Island|url=http://kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm-maps/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmaps&CISOPTR=514&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%2520benton&DMTHUMB=0&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=131&y=31|access-date=October 25, 2010|year=1906|archive-date=July 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720121702/http://kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm-maps/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmaps&CISOPTR=514&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%20benton&DMTHUMB=0&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=131&y=31|url-status=dead}}{{cite map|publisher=USGS|title=Prosser|url=http://kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm-maps/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/maps&CISOPTR=486&CISOBOX=1&REC=3|access-date=October 25, 2010|year=1915|archive-date=July 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720121712/http://kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm-maps/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmaps&CISOPTR=486&CISOBOX=1&REC=3|url-status=dead}} The highway was designated Secondary State Highway 8E (SSH 8E) in 1937,{{cite map |date=June 9, 1937 |title=Map of Benton County |publisher=Washington State Department of Highways |location=Olympia |url=https://content.libraries.wsu.edu/digital/collection/maps/id/573/ |via=WSU Libraries Digital Collections |access-date=November 21, 2021}} but the route number was changed to SR 221 during the 1964 state highway renumbering.{{cite web|url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2005/04/26/Identification-of-state-highways.pdf|title=Identification of State Highways|last=Prahl|first=C.G.|date=December 1, 1965|publisher=Washington State Highway Commission - Department of Highways|access-date=October 25, 2010|archive-date=February 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217112902/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/6836215D-E301-43F3-895A-472BD2FDE86A/0/Identification.pdf|url-status=dead}}

High winds have forced the closure of SR 221 in 2003,{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=YHRB&p_theme=yhrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FEF3B8DB8B04B58&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=11/19/03 Around the Valley|last=Taylor|first=John|date=November 19, 2003|work=Yakima Herald-Republic|publisher=The Seattle Times Company|page=B1|access-date=October 25, 2010}} {{subscription required}} 2004,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FAAgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8BUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1393,7914533&dq=state-route-221&hl=en|title=Storm sweeps state with wind, lightning|date=April 28, 2004|work=Ellensburg Daily Record|publisher=Pioneers Newspapers Inc|page=A8|access-date=October 25, 2010}} and 2005 due to large amounts of dust being blown around, causing visibility to drop to almost zero through the Horse Heaven Hills.{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/YHRB/lib00691,108E67DF1DC34047.html|title=It was a real dust-up in Lower Valley|last=Muir|first=Patrick D.|date=March 17, 2005|work=Yakima Herald-Republic|publisher=The Seattle Times Company|access-date=October 25, 2010}} {{subscription required}}

Major intersections

{{WAinttop|county=Benton|length_ref={{cite web|url=https://wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/roadway/pdf/HwyLog2009.pdf|title=State Highway Log Planning Report 2009 SR 2 to SR 971|publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation|page=1237|access-date=October 25, 2010}}}}

{{WAint

|location=none

|mile=0.00

|road={{Jct|state=WA|SR|14|location1=Pendleton|city2=Vancouver}}

|notes=}}

{{WAint

|location=Prosser

|mile=25.95

|road={{Jct|state=WA|SR|22|to2=to|I|82|city1=Mabton|city2=Richland|city3=Yakima}}

|notes=}}

References

External links

[https://www.angelfire.com/wa2/hwysofwastate/sr221.html Highways of Washington State]

Category:Transportation in Benton County, Washington

221