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U.S. Route 97 Alternate marker
U.S. Route 97 Alternate
Map
Map of Chelan County with US 97A highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by WSDOT
Length39.95 mi[1] (64.29 km)
Existed1987–present
Tourist
routes		 Cascade Loop Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end US 2 / US 97 in Sunnyslope
Major intersections
North end US 97 near Chelan
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyChelan
Highway system
← US 97→ SR 99

U.S. Route 97 Alternate (US 97 Alt., also abbreviated as US 97A) is an alternate route of US 97 within the state of Washington. It runs for 40 miles (64 km) from Wenatchee to Chelan, following the west bank of the Columbia River opposite from US 2 and US 97. The highway travels through sparsely-populated areas along the river and passes near the Rocky Reach Dam and through the town of Entiat.

Wagon roads along the west side of the Columbia River were plotted in the 1880s by American settlers and added to the state highway system in 1897. The wagon road was designated as State Road 10 (later the Lake Chelan and Okanogan Highway) and was completely paved by the late 1930s. US 97 was created in 1926 and followed the highway, which was relocated in the 1950s due to the construction of the Rocky Reach Dam. A highway on the east side of the river was completed in the 1980s and designated as part of US 97 in 1987, leaving the west side to become an alternate route.

Route description

[edit]

US 97A begins north of Wenatchee at a partial cloverleaf interchange with US 2 and US 97 at the west end of the Richard Odabashian Bridge. US 2 and US 97 travel concurrently through the area on an east–west divided highway, while the roadway itself continues south towards Wenatchee Confluence State Park as Euclid Avenue. US 97A travels north alongside the Cascade and Columbia River Railroad on the west bank of the Columbia River, passing through an industrial area and intersecting Ohme Garden Road at a roundabout.[2][3] The highway narrows to two lanes and moves closer to the river, abutting the steep slopes of the Entiat Mountains to the west. Along this section of the river, US 97A passes Rocky Reach Dam and its visitor center, located opposite Lincoln Rock State Park on US 2 and US 97.[4]

Looking eastbound from downtown Chelan at a closed section of US 97A during 2015 wildfire season

The highway continues northeast alongside the Columbia River and Lake Entiat, passing several resort communities on the riverbank. US 97A and the railroad move closer to the riverbank near Tenas George Canyon and gradually turn north, crossing several creeks that empty into the lake. Near Numeral Mountain, the highway crosses over the mouth of the Entiat River and enters the city limits of Entiat.[5] US 97A travels to the west of several waterfront parks and recreation areas and skirts the east edge of the city's main commercial and residential neighborhoods. The highway passes the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center and continues out of the city, continuing along the river as it bends eastward near Winesap.[4] The mountains to the west of US 97A form part of the Chelan Wildlife Area, which stretches along the west side of the river from Wenatchee to Chelan.[6]

At the mouth of Navarre Coulee, the highway intersects the south end of SR 971, which travels north to Lake Chelan State Park. US 97A continues northeast for a short distance before leaving the river and railroad at Knapp's Hill, which the highway crosses under with a short tunnel. The highway turns north to follow Knapp Coulee, which lies at the eastern edge of the Wenatchee National Forest, and passes through a vineyard and zipline park.[7] US 97A ascends into the coulee's narrower reaches, gaining a northbound climbing lane, and then descends while turning northeast towards the shore of Lake Chelan near the Bear Mountain Ranch golf course. After a stair-step turn to the east and north adjacent to several wineries, the highway intersects the north end of SR 971 and turns east onto Woodin Avenue. US 97A continues east along the foothills of the Chelan Butte and enters the city of Chelan near Lakeside Park.[4]

Woodin Avenue passes several resort hotels, a marina, and a terminal for the Lady of the Lake ferry that travels to Stehekin.[8] Near Chelan High School, Woodin Avenue splits from US 97A, which continues east onto Webster Avenue and crosses over the Chelan River near the Lake Chelan Dam. The highway then turns north onto Sanders Street and east onto Woodin Avenue, beginning a concurrency with SR 150 as it leaves downtown Chelan. US 97A and SR 150 pass through a commercial strip before splitting near the eastern outskirts of the city, with US 97A continuing northeast into the hills overlooking the Columbia River. The highway crosses part of the Gallagher Flat State Wildlife Recreation Area and travels just south of the Lake Chelan Airport before terminating at a junction with US 97 southwest of Azwell.[4]

A reassurance marker for US 97A near Chelan

US 97A uses mileposts derived from US 97, beginning at 200 and ending at 240.[9][10] In addition to carrying agricultural freight, the highway is a tourist route and is signed as part of the Cascade Loop Scenic Byway.[10][11] The highway is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on state routes to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic. Average traffic volumes on US 97A range from a minimum of 2,800 vehicles at its eastern terminus northeast of Chelan to a maximum of 12,000 in downtown Chelan.[12] A short section between US 2 and the Ohme Garden Road roundabout is designated as part of the National Highway System, a network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility.[13][14] Link Transit operates daily bus service on the corridor, connecting Wenatchee to Entiat, Chelan, and Manson.[15]

History

[edit]
Aerial view of Lake Entiat, a reservoir created by the Rocky Reach Dam that inundated former sections of US 97

The first wagon roads along the Columbia River were built by American settlers in the 1880s and followed earlier routes plotted by indigenous peoples and explorers like George McClellan in the mid-19th century.[16][17] The west side of the river was once used as an overland route by fur traders in the 1850s and constituted part of the Okanagan Trail and the Cariboo Trail.[18][19] A wagon road on the west side of the river was added to the state highway system in 1897, connecting Wenatchee to Twisp, and a sum of $15,000 (equivalent to $473,000 in 2023 dollars)[20] was appropriated to Kittitas and Okanogan counties for construction.[21]

The Wenatchee–Pateros section of the wagon road was assigned in 1905 as part of State Road 10, which continued north along the Okanogan River to the Canadian border.[22][23] Within the next three years, State Road 10 was improved using state funds, including $20,000 (equivalent to $485,000 in 2023 dollars)[20] allocated to Chelan County for the Wenatchee–Pateros section, particularly the southern stretch through Entiat.[24][25] By 1915, Chelan County had improved the road surface between Wenatchee and Maple Creek, southwest of the city of Chelan,[26] and the Great Northern Railway had begun negotiations to purchase the highway's right-of-way for a new railroad connecting Wenatchee to Okanogan.[27] The railway company rebuilt the highway, relocating it inland to make way for its railroad, at a cost of $150,000 (equivalent to $3.37 million in 2023 dollars)[20] per an agreement it reached with the state highway commission.[28] State Road 10 was renamed to the Lake Chelan and Okanogan Highway by a legislative act in 1917 and moved to the east side of the river in 1923,[29][30] ending a decade-long debate on where the highway should run.[31][32]

US 97 was created as part of the initial system of numbered national highways in 1926, running from Ashland, Oregon, to the Canadian border near Oroville.[33][34] The highway was co-signed with State Road 10 from Wenatchee to the border.[35] State Road 10 was relocated to its original alignment on the west side of the Columbia River, which had been improved with oiled macadam surfacing,[35][36] and was later signed as Primary State Highway 10 (PSH 10) in the 1937 reformation of the state highway system.[37] By the end of the 1930s, the entirety of US 97 and PSH 10 had been paved in concrete and asphalt.[38] A notoriously hilly section of the highway at Maple Creek was replaced by the Knapp's Hill Tunnel, which opened in 1936.[39]

The development of hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River began in the 1930s and expanded after the end of World War II. The planned reservoir created by the Rocky Reach Dam, located near Orondo, would inundate 20 miles (32 km) of shoreline, including the city of Entiat and sections of PSH 10 and the adjacent Great Northern Railway. Construction of the dam began in 1956 and several contracts were awarded two years later for the uphill relocation of the highway, which began shortly afterward.[40][41] The new, 18-mile (29 km) section of the highway between the dam and Knapp's Hill was constructed in one year, opening in November 1959 at a cost of $8 million (equivalent to $64 million in 2023 dollars),[20] and involved several large cuts in the nearby hills.[42] During the 1964 state highway renumbering, PSH 10 was fully replaced by US 97, while the unfinished highway on the east side of the river between Wenatchee and Chelan Falls became US 2 and SR 151.[43][44]

A "water-grade" route for US 97 along the east bank of the Columbia River was envisioned in the 1940s and was constructed in sections as part of improvements to SR 151.[45][46] These improvements included a new alignment for the highway during construction of the Rocky Reach Dam and a new bridge crossing at Chelan Falls.[47][48] The $14.6 million alignment (equivalent to $35.1 million in 2023 dollars)[20] following the river for 5.3 miles (8.5 km) between Chelan Falls and Azwell was opened in September 1985, completing the water-grade route along the Columbia River.[49][50][51] The state legislature moved US 97 to the east bank route in 1987 and designated the old highway on the west bank as US 97 Alternate.[52] The redesignation was controversial with Chelan and Entiat businessmen, who feared a loss of business and traffic along the alternate route, but the state government cited predicted traffic volumes as its main determinant for the signing of US 97 onto the eastern route.[50] The change was submitted to the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering, a group within the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) that coordinates the numbering of national highways, and was approved at their June 1988 meeting after being initially withheld.[53][54]

In May 1995, a major landslide near the Rocky Reach Dam covered a section of the highway with 30 feet (9.1 m) of debris and killed two people.[55][56] The alternate route was identified in the 1990s as a particularly dangerous highway for single-vehicle collisions, most involving drunk drivers or encounters with deer and elk. WSDOT tallied more than 400 deer killed in collisions with automobiles from 1991 to 1998 and dozens of sheep and elk, prompting plans to install a wildlife fence on US 97A near the Rocky Reach Dam to deter highway crossings.[57][58] The 9-mile (14 km) wildlife fence was installed between 2009 and 2011 after several years of delays while waiting for $2.8 million in funding from the federal and state government.[59][60]

A two-mile (3.2 km) section of US 97A in Sunnyslope was rebuilt and repaved by WSDOT in 2013 and included the construction of a roundabout at Ohme Garden Road to aid freight traffic.[3] The Wenatchee city government plans to construct an extension of the highway across the Wenatchee River and into the city as part of the Confluence Parkway project.[61]

Major intersections

[edit]

The entire highway is in Chelan County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Sunnyslope0.000.00
 US 2 / US 97 to SR 28 – East Wenatchee, Spokane, Wenatchee, Seattle		Interchange; continues south as Euclid Avenue
​23.3537.58
 SR 971 north (Navarre Coulee Road) – Lake Chelan State Park, 25 Mile Creek
​30.6049.25
 SR 971 south (South Lakeshore Road) – Lake Chelan State Park, 25 Mile Creek
Chelan34.4655.46
 SR 150 west (Sanders Street) – Manson		South end of SR 150 overlap
35.2956.79
 SR 150 east		North end of SR 150 overlap
​39.9564.29 US 97 – Okanogan, Wenatchee
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Multimodal Planning Division (January 3, 2018). State Highway Log Planning Report 2017, SR 2 to SR 971 (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 752–758. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  2. ^ "Corridor Sketch Summary – US 97A: US 2 Jct to US 97 Jct" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. April 5, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Pratt, Christine (October 16, 2012). "Stemilt roundabout almost finished". The Wenatchee World. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "U.S. Route 97 Alternate" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  5. ^ Gilstrap, Kathleen (June 25, 2000). "Grads climb to make their mark; Numeral Mountain is a history". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  6. ^ "Chelan Wildlife Area". Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  7. ^ Riggs, Dee (June 24, 2012). "Air speed Entrepreneur starts zip line business near Chelan". The Wenatchee World.
  8. ^ Landers, Rich (May 29, 2011). "Lake Chelan Shoreline a classic early hike". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  9. ^ Washington State Highway System Mileposts, 2016 (PDF) (Map). Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "United States Route 97A Draft Route Development Plan". Washington State Department of Transportation. February 2005. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  11. ^ "Washington State's Scenic Byways & Road Trips" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. July 2018. pp. 47–50. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  12. ^ 2016 Annual Traffic Report (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. 2017. p. 125. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  13. ^ "2017 State Highway National Highway System Routes in Washington" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  14. ^ "What is the National Highway System?". Federal Highway Administration. January 31, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  15. ^ "Intercity Routes". Link Transit. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  16. ^ Overmeyer, Philip Henry (January 1941). "George B. McClellan and the Pacific Northwest". Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 32 (1). University of Washington: 40. ISSN 0030-8803. JSTOR 40486431. OCLC 2392232.
  17. ^ An Illustrated History of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan Counties, State of Washington. Spokane, Washington: Western Historical Publishing Company. 1904. p. 673. OCLC 10817801. Retrieved September 23, 2018 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ Mather, Ken (2018). Trail North: The Okanagan Trail of 1858-68 and Its Origins in British Columbia and Washington. Victoria, British Columbia: Heritage House Publishing. ISBN 9781772032307. OCLC 1035944148. Retrieved September 23, 2018 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ Kirk, Ruth; Alexander, Carmela (1995). Exploring Washington's Past: A Road Guide to History. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 53. ISBN 0-295-97443-5. OCLC 33206378. Retrieved September 23, 2018 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ a b c d e Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  21. ^ "Chapter CXV: Providing For A State Road" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1897. Washington State Legislature. March 18, 1897. pp. 338–341. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  22. ^ "Chapter 7: Providing for the Establishment and Repair of Certain State Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1905. Washington State Legislature. January 24, 1905. pp. 18–22. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  23. ^ Map of the State of Washington Showing State Roads—Located and Proposed (Map). Washington State Highway Commission. 1909. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Washington State Archives.
  24. ^ "Report of Work on State Roads". Second Biennial Report of the Highway Commissioner. Washington State Highway Commission. December 1, 1908. p. 10. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ "County is Entitled to $20,000". The Wenatchee World. November 19, 1909. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Rand McNally (1915). State of Washington Showing State Highways Authorized by Legislative Acts of 1915 (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Washington State Archives.
  27. ^ "Harmony is Keynote Throughout Meeting of Good Roads Men". The Seattle Times. October 22, 1911. p. 8.
  28. ^ McClure, Horace (September 23, 1914). "Seattle Invites Trade Expansion". The Seattle Times. p. 7.
  29. ^ "Chapter 75: Appropriation for Primary and Secondary Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1917. Washington State Legislature. March 10, 1917. p. 257. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  30. ^ "Chapter 185: Primary and Secondary State Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1923. Washington State Legislature. March 19, 1923. p. 630. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  31. ^ "State Highway Embroglio". The Wenatchee World. June 14, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ State of Washington Showing State Highways Selected For the Expenditure of Federal Aid (Map). Washington State Department of Highways. November 19, 1921. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Washington State Archives.
  33. ^ Bureau of Public Roads; American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  34. ^ Report of Joint Board on Interstate Highways (Report). Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Public Roads. November 18, 1925. p. 56. OCLC 55123355. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Wikisource.
  35. ^ a b "Washington" (Map). Rand McNally Junior Auto Road Atlas. 1:1,500,000. Rand McNally. 1927. pp. 82–83. OCLC 921180471. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
  36. ^ Highway Map, State of Washington (Map). Washington State Department of Highways. April 1, 1933. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Washington State Archives.
  37. ^ "Chapter 190: Establishment of Primary State Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1937. Washington State Legislature. March 17, 1937. p. 939. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  38. ^ Highways of the State of Washington (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally. Washington State Department of Highways. 1939. OCLC 5673231. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Washington State Archives.
  39. ^ "All roads lead from town". The Wenatchee World. August 30, 1992. p. A20.
  40. ^ Stanley, Bruce (February 1959). "State Highway 10 Being Relocated for Rocky Beach Dam Project". Washington Highway News. Vol. 8, no. 4. Washington State Department of Highways. pp. 26–27. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  41. ^ "Rocky Reach". Washington Highway News. Vol. 11, no. 1. Washington State Department of Highways. August 1963. pp. 5–6. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  42. ^ Gracey, A. W. (February 1960). ""New" Highway Ten Opened". Washington Highway News. Vol. 8, no. 10. Washington State Department of Highways. p. 10. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  43. ^ Prahl, C. G. (December 1, 1965). "Identification of State Highways" (PDF). Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  44. ^ Hauptli, Jack (February 23, 1964). "Highway Department Plays The Numbers Game!". The Seattle Times. pp. 10–11.
  45. ^ State Route 151: Chelan Station to Hugo Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Washington State Department of Transportation. November 1978. pp. 5–7. OCLC 41687087. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Google Books.
  46. ^ "Chapter 151: State Highways—Route Designations" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1973 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. April 25, 1973. pp. 1095–1096. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  47. ^ Stanley, Bruce (December 1959). "Vast Rocky Reach Dam Project Continues on Columbia". Washington Highway News. Vol. 8, no. 9. Washington State Department of Highways. pp. 8–10. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  48. ^ "Beebe Bridge Construction Fulfills Age-Old Need". Washington Highway News. Vol. 9, no. 1. Washington State Department of Highways. August 1960. pp. 13–14. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  49. ^ Rea, Dave (June 17, 1982). "Plans for final Watergrade Highway link outlined". The Wenatchee World. p. 2.
  50. ^ a b Warner, Tracy (June 10, 1985). "Watergrade nearly finished". The Wenatchee World. p. 1.
  51. ^ Chelan Falls Quadrangle, Washington (Topographic map). 1:24,000. United States Geological Survey. 1968 [revised 1981]. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  52. ^ "Chapter 199: State Highway Route Designations Revised" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1987. Washington State Legislature. April 25, 1987. p. 687. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  53. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 25, 1987). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 5. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  54. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 7, 1988). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 4. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  55. ^ Foster, J. Todd (May 20, 1995). "Two missing in rock slide". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  56. ^ "Body of second victim pulled from rock slide". The Seattle Times. May 22, 1995. p. B1.
  57. ^ "Rural road a deathtrap for deer". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. October 8, 2000. p. B7. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  58. ^ Partridge, Michelle (May 21, 2004). "Not acting sheepish: Agency out to solve mystery of road killed bighorn sheep". The Wenatchee World. p. A1.
  59. ^ Mehaffey, K. C. (September 21, 2011). "New fence garners praise, even before it's finished". The Wenatchee World.
  60. ^ "US 97A - Wildlife Fence - Complete September 2011". Washington State Department of Transportation. September 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  61. ^ O'Cain, Pete (November 2, 2017). "Group seeking $152 million to revamp Wenatchee Valley transportation". The Wenatchee World. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
[edit]
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