Washington State Route 124

State Route 124 marker

State Route 124
Ice Harbor Drive

SR 124 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 12
Defined by RCW 47.17.235
Maintained by WSDOT
Length: 44.68 mi[1] (71.91 km)
Existed: 1964[2][3] – present
Tourist
routes:		 Lewis and Clark Trail Scenic Byway
Major junctions
West end: US 12 in Burbank
  SR 125 near Prescott
East end: US 12 in Waitsburg
Highway system
← SR 123SR 125 →

State Route 124 (SR 124) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. It extends 44.68 miles (71.91 km) from US 12 in Burbank, east to US 12 in Waitsburg. The route serves as a bypass of Walla Walla and as a connector from US 12 to Prescott.[4] SR 124 was established in 1964 after the 1964 highway renumbering, along its current route. Before SR 124 was established, the route from Burbank to SR 125 was Secondary State Highway 3D and the route from SR 125 to Waitsburg was Secondary State Highway 3E.[2][3]

Even though SR 124 was established in 1964, no signs went up until the law that made SR 124 was approved by the Washington State Legislature in 1970.[2][3] The section of SR 124 from Bubrank to Ice Harbor Road is officially designated the Ice Harbor Drive, named after the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam.[2][5] The portion of SR 124 from Piper Canyon Road to Waitsburg is designated as part of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Route description

State Route 124 runs approximately 44.68 miles (71.91 km) from US 12 in Burbank, east to US 12 in Waitsburg. The route links the communities of Burbank, Prescott, and Waitsburg. The road intersects two major arterials: US 12 before ending at State Route 124.[4][6][7][8][9]

SR 124 (Ice Harbor Drive)[5] starts at an intersection with US 12 in northern Burbank and then goes northeast next to Hood Park and the Snake River before turning east past Burbank Heights to intersect Ice Harbor Road. At this point, the Ice Harbor Drive designation is given to Ice Harbor Road, which continues to the actual dam and lock, about 2.70 miles (4.35 km) from the intersection.[10] From the intersection the highway turns northeast past Slater, Ash, and Welland before continuing east past Eureka, Lamar, and Harsha before intersecting SR 125.[11]

Eastbound SR 124 in Downtown Waitsburg towards Preston Avenue (US 12)

From the intersection with SR 125, the highway goes east into Prescott, where SR 124 starts to parallel the route of the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad, a railroad that runs from Wallula to Walla Walla, Oregon, Waitsburg, and Dayton.[12][13][14] After passing Robinson, the highway goes southeast and then south to Bolles, where SR 124 stops paralleling Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad, which then continues east to Waitsburg. After leaving Bolles, SR 124 goes east into Waitsburg and ends at US 12.[15]

History

The shields of Secondary State Highway 3D (left) and Secondary State Highway 3E (right).

Most of the current route of SR 124 follows a portion of the Lewis and Clark Trail. The highway from Piper Canyon Road to Waitsburg follows a small section of the 1806 route that Lewis and Clark took from Fort Clatsop before splitting in Montana.[16] SR 124 became a state highway during the 1964 highway renumbering, in which the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) replaced the old system (Primary and Secondary Highways) with a new system (State Routes), which is still in use today. In the Primary and Secondary system, SR 124 from US 12 to SR 125 (then US 410) was Secondary State Highway 3D and SR 124 from SR 125 to SR 126 was Secondary State Highway 3E.

Secondary State Highway 3D (SSH 3D) was added in 1937, during the creation of the Primary State Highway system. The original route started at US 410 in Touchet and went north to Eureka and east to SSH 3E west of Prescott.[17][18] Later in 1951, SSH 3D was moved to a route from US 410 in Burbank to SSH 3E, the current route of SR 124 and in 1965, the route from Burbank to Ice Harbor Road was designated the Ice Harbor Drive.[2][5] SSH 3E was also added in 1937 and went from US 410 in Walla Walla north to SSH 3D and east past Prescott to Waitsburg. SSH 3E became SR 125 from Walla Walla to SSH 3D and SR 124 from SSH 3D to Waitsburg.[18][19]

Before and after the establishment, the route of SR 124 has gone through several documented WSDOT construction projects from 1941 to 2004.[20] Many were small, minor projects including repavings and intersection improvements. The first was a construction project that constructed SSH 3E from SSH 3D to Waitsburg, which took place in 1941.[20] The latest project was a realignment project along SR 124 east of Burbank. The project straightened a curve along the highway. It cost $145,589 USD and took place in 2004.[21][22]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Walla WallaBurbank0.000.00 US 12 west – Wallula, Pasco, Yakima
 5.238.42Ice Harbor Road / Mounument Drive
 34.6155.70 SR 125 south – Walla Walla, College Place, Milton-Freewater, OR, Pendleton, OR
Waitsburg44.6871.91 US 12 west – Clarkston, Lewiston, ID
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington State Department of Transportation. "State Highway Log, 2006" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Washington State Legislature. "RCW 47.17.235: State Route 124". Retrieved July 11, 2008.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Session Laws of the State of Washington. 1964 Title 47, Chapter 47.17, Section 47.17.235. "A state highway to be known as state route number 124 is established as follows: Beginning at a junction with state route number 12 in the vicinity of Burbank, thence northeasterly by the most feasible route to a point in the vicinity of Eureka, thence easterly by the most feasible route to a junction with state route number 125 in the vicinity of Prescott, thence easterly to a junction with state route number 12 in the vicinity northeast of Waitsburg."
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Google (2008-08-30). "State Route 124 Overview Map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Session Laws of the State of Washington. 1964 Title 47, Chapter 47.17, Section 47.17.235. "That portion of state route number 124 lying between the junction with state route number 12 and the county road to Ice Harbor Dam to be known as "Ice Harbor Drive"."
  6. ↑ Official State Highway Map (PDF) (Map) (2008-2009 ed.). 1:842,000. Official State Highway Maps. Cartography by U.S. Geological Survey. Olympia, Washington: Washington State Department of Transportation. 2008. § 7G. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  7. ↑ The Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2008. p. 108. § K15. ISBN 0-528-93961-0.
  8. ↑ The Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2008. p. 108. § K16. ISBN 0-528-93961-0.
  9. ↑ The Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2008. p. 108. § K17. ISBN 0-528-93961-0.
  10. ↑ Google (2008-08-30). "Ice Harbor Road Map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  11. ↑ Google (2008-08-30). "State Route 124 Map (Burbank to SR 125)" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  12. ↑ Washington State Railroad System (PDF) (Map). Cartography by U.S. Geological Survey. Washington State Department of Transportation. August 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  13. ↑ Washington State Department of Transportation. "Railroad Contacts in Washington State". Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  14. ↑ Watco Companies. "Watco Companies Railroads". Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  15. ↑ Google (2008-08-30). "State Route 124 Map (SR 125 to Waitsburg)" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  16. ↑ Map of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail (PDF) (Map). National Park Service. 2006-08-21. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  17. ↑ Washington State Legislature (1937). "An act relating to public highways, creating and establishing, describing and designating the primary state highways of the State of Washington and declaring an emergency.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1937 chapter 190, p. 1000.: "Secondary State Highway No. 3D; beginning at Touchet on Primary State Highway No. 3, thence in a northerly direction by the most feasible route to a point south of Eureka, thence in an easterly direction by the most feasible route to Prescott."
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Washington State Legislature (1937) [1937]. "190". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Session Laws of the State of Washington (1937 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. p. 1000. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  19. ↑ Washington State Legislature (1937). "An act relating to public highways, creating and establishing, describing and designating the primary state highways of the State of Washington and declaring an emergency.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1937 chapter 190, p. 1000.: "Secondary State Highway No. 3E; beginning at Walla Walla on Primary State Highway No. 3, thence in a northerly direction by the most feasible route to Prescott on Secondary State Highway No. 3D, thence in an easterly direction by the most feasible route to a junction on Primary State Highway No. 3 in the vicinity northeast of Waitsburg."
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Washington State Department of Transportation (2007-08-08). "Current List of SR 124 R/W Plans" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  21. ↑ Washington State Department of Transportation (2004). "2004 Construction Highlights - SR 124, East Jct. US 12 Reconstruction Project Evaluation". Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  22. ↑ Washington State Department of Transportation (2004). "SR 124 East Jct. US 12 Reconstruction - Complete April 2004". Archived from the original on 2008-08-02. Retrieved 2008-08-30.

External links

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