Tri-Cities US 395 and SR 240 - Delay
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Measures of delay on US 395 and SR 240 corridors in the Tri-Cities region
Travel delay
Travel delay is the amount of extra time spent at speeds below a given threshold—such as the posted speed limit or the maximum throughput speed on a highway. WSDOT uses maximum throughput speed (85% of posted speed limit) as its threshold for calculating delay, which it measures in either annual hours of delay per vehicle or annual hours of delay per person. For details on methodology to calculate travel delay, see WSDOT's Handbook for Corridor Capacity Evaluation (PDF 5.9MB).
Heat maps
The heat maps below show vehicle hours of delay by time of day (measured in 5-minute intervals) and milepost. The darker the shading in a particular spot on the heat map, the more hours of delay occurred at that time and place. Shading is standardized across all the corridors to allow for comparison.
There is a separate heat map for each direction of travel. The northbound graph below is read from the bottom to the top, while the corresponding southbound graph is read from the top to the bottom. For additional details on how to read heat maps, see WSDOT's Handbook for Corridor Capacity Evaluation (PDF 5.9MB).
Sources: WSDOT Multimodal Planning Division and WSDOT Transportation Safety and Systems Analysis Division and WSDOT TRACFLOW (https://tracflow.wsdot.wa.gov/)
Multi-year trends
In 2022, delay continued to increase compared to 2021, due to the ongoing recovery of traffic volume in the wake of COVID-19. However, delay was still significantly lower compared to the pre-pandemic level.
In 2020, due to the statewide response to COVID-19 there was a significant decrease in delay compared to previous years.
Travelers on US 395 in the Tri-Cities region experienced increased delay in 2019 more than in 2018. Similar trends were observed on SR 240 and I-182 with slight year over year fluctuations.
Annual highlights
In 2022, travel delay increased in most corridors. Travel delay on US 395 occurred near the SR 240 interchange and I-82. In 2022 travel delay at I-82 interchange increased compared to 2021 and decreased at SR 240 interchange. Travel delay on I-182 at the Pioneer Memorial Bridge increased slightly compared to 2021.
In 2022, eastbound vehicle delay on SR 240 in the Tri-Cities region increased compared to 2021, occurring near Jadwin Avenue. Westbound delay in 2021 also increased near Van Giesen Street during morning commute between 7-9 a.m. compared to 2021. During evening commute 4-6 p.m. travel delay increased near I-182 compared to 2021.
In 2021, delays followed similar patterns but increased compared to 2020 in most locations. Travel delay on US 395 occured near the SR 240 Interchange and I-82. 2021 dealy at this location increased compared to 2020. Travel delay on I-182 at Pioneer Memorial Bridge did not change compared to 2020.
In 2021, eastbound vehicle delay on SR 240 in the Tri-Cities region slightly increased compared to 2020, occurring near Jadwin Avenue. Westbound delay in 2021 also increased near Van Giesen Street during morning commute between 7-9 a.m compared to 2020. During evening commute 4-6 p.m. travel delay increased near I-182 compared to 2020.
In 2020, due to the statewide response to COVID-19 there was significant decrease in delay compared to previous year. Northbound vehicle delay on US 395 in the Tri-Cities region decreased compared to 2019, occurring near the SR 240 interchange and I-82. Southbound delay in 2020 also saw decreases from 2019 between I-182 and Pioneer Memorial Bridge in the morning between 7-9 a.m. and in the evening 4-6 p.m.
In 2020, eastbound vehicle delay on SR 240 in the Tri-Cities region decreased compared to 2019, occurring near Jadwin Avenue. Westbound delay in 2020 also saw decreases from 2019 near Van Giesen Street in the morning between 7-9 a.m. In the evening 4-6 p.m. near I-182 saw decrease in 2020 compared to 2019.
In 2019, northbound vehicle delay on US 395 in the Tri-Cities region increased compared to 2018, occurring near the SR 240 interchange and I-82. Southbound delay in 2019 also saw increases from 2018 between I-182 and Pioneer Meomorial Bridge in the morning between 7-9 a.m. and in the evening 4-6 p.m.
In 2019, eastbound vehicle delay on SR 240 in the Tri-Cities region increased compared to 2018, occurring near Jadwin Avenue. Westbound delay in 2019 also saw increases from 2018 near Van Giesen Street and I-182 in the morning between 7-9 a.m. and in the evening 4-6 p.m.
In 2018, northbound vehicle delay on US 395 in the Tri-Cities region decreased compared to 2017, delay occurring near the SR 240 interchange and I-82. Southbound delay in 2018 saw increases from 2017 between I-182 and Pioneer Meomorial Bridge in the morning between 7-9 a.m. and in the evening 4-6 p.m.
In 2018, eastbound vehicle delay on SR 240 in the Tri-Cities region decreased compared to 2017, delay occurring near Jadwin Avenue. Westbound delay in 2018 also saw decreases from 2017 near Van Giesen Street and I-182 in the morning between 7-9 a.m. and in the evening 4-6 p.m.