Interstate 82 (original) (raw)

Interstate 82 is an interstate highway in the northwestern United States. Its western terminus is at an intersection with Interstate 90 in Ellensburg, Washington; its eastern terminus is at an intersection with the western Interstate 84 in Hermiston, Oregon.

Number of Miles

142.57

• Washington - 132.57 miles
• Oregon - 10 miles

Major Cities Along the Route

• Yakima, Washington

Intersections with other Interstates

• Interstate 90 in Ellenburg, Washington
• Interstate 84 in Hermiston, Oregon

Spur Routes

• Richland, Washington - I-182

Notes

I-82 serves two major purposes:

• Long haul and long trip: A link between Seattle, Washington and inland western cities such Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado
• Short-trip: Local connector between cities along the Yakima River. The north-western part of the Lower Yakima Valley is also served by United States Highway 97, but commuter traffic between Ellensburg and Yakima, Yakima and the Lower Valley Cities and the Tri-Cities accounts for the vast majority of the actual traffic it carries.

On I-82, exits 88 and 93 are the only interstate exits in the state of Washington still lit with mercury vapor streetlights. The closest possible exception is on I-5, at the 320th St. S. exit in Federal Way, where at the intersection of the northbound offramp and 320th St. there is one lone mercury vapor light. It is not actually on the freeway, though, only on the offramp.

Mercury vapor lights cast a cold, blue light. Most of the Washington interstate system has high pressure sodium lighting, the common yellow streetlight. There are a few areas that have metal halide (clean, white light) as well, but those are growing in number while the use of mercury is shrinking. I-5 north of the Ship Canal Bridge has metal halide. State route 520 just east of 405 has some mercury lighting left over, as does the Valley Freeway (167) north of the SuperMall. Basically everywhere else, the lighting is sodium.

On I-90, exit 93, Elk Heights Road, is the only unlit interchange. There are no unlit interchanges on 5, 405, 705 or 182. 82 has at lest one unlit exit, the "Military Training Area" just south of Ellensburg.