I.10.0 TRANSPORTATION
The Tri-Cities area is served by air, rail, water, and road transportation networks. The majority of air passenger and freight services goes through the Tri-Cities Airport, located in Pasco (Cushing 1992). In addition, two smaller airports serving general aviation aircraft are located in Richland and Kennewick. No airport facilities are located on the Hanford Site.
Water-borne transportation is accommodated by docking facilities at the Ports of Benton, Kennewick, and Pasco (Cushing 1992). The commercial waterways of the Snake and Columbia Rivers provide access to the deep-water ports of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. The Port of Benton is the port-of-call for all vessel traffic to the Hanford Site.
The Hanford Site rail system consists of about 210 km (130 mi) of railroad track. Approximately 140 km (87 mi) of the system are considered in service to active Site facilities. Approximately 64 km (40 mi) of track are in standby condition. The standby trackage serves Site areas that have no current rail shipping needs. Although the standby track is not currently maintained, it could be restored if needed. The Hanford Site rail system extends from the Richland Junction (at Columbia Center in Kennewick) south of the Columbia River where it joins the Union Pacific commercial railroad track, to an abandoned commercial right-of-way near the Vernita Bridge in the northern portion of the Site (Figure I.10.0.1). There are currently about 1,400 railcar movements annually Sitewide, transporting a wide variety of materials including fuels (e.g., coal and oil), hazardous process chemicals, and radioactive materials and equipment. Radioactive waste has been transported by rail on the Site without incident for many years (DOE 1995i).
Regional road transportation is provided by a number of major highways including State Routes 240 and 24 and U.S. Interstate Highway 82. State Routes 240 and 24 are both two-lane roads that traverse the Hanford Site. State Routes 240 is a north-south highway that skirts the easternmost side of the FEALE Reserve. State Routes 24 is an east-west highway located in the northern portion of the Hanford Site. These roads are maintained by Washington State (Cushing 1992).
A DOE-maintained road network within the Hanford Site provides access to the various work centers (Figure I.10.0.1). The majority of these roads are paved and are two lanes wide. The primary access roads on the Hanford Site are Routes 2, 4, 10, and 11A. The 200 East Area is primarily accessed by Route 4 South from the east and from Route 4 North off Route 11A from the north and from Route 11A for vehicles entering the Site at the Yakima Barricade. A new access road was opened in late 1994 to provide access directly to the 200 Areas from State Route 240. The 200 West Area is primarily accessed from Route 6 off Route 11A from the north. Public access to the 200 Areas and interior locations of the Hanford Site has been restricted by guarded gates at the Wye Barricade (at the intersection of Routes 10 and 4) and the Yakima Barricade (at the intersection of State Route 240 and Route 11A). None of the previously listed roadways have experienced any substantial congestion except Route 4 (WHC 1994c).
Figure I.10.0.1 Hanford Site Transportation Network
Route 4 carries most of the traffic from the City of Richland to the 200 Areas. Traffic volumes during shift changes at the Hanford Site create severe traffic congestion. July 1994 traffic counts along Route 4 South just to the west of the Wye Barricade showed an average daily traffic (ADT) of approximately 9,200 vehicles, with morning peak hour volumes of nearly 2,400. By mid-1995 with reductions in Site employment, and the opening of the State Route 240 Access Road (Beloit Avenue), morning peak hour traffic had declined to slightly above 1,700 (Rogers 1995). Farther to the southeast, near the 1100 Area where Route 4 becomes Stevens Road, the 1992 ADT was approximately 24,800 with a peak hour volume of over 2,900. Level of Service (LOS) is a qualitative measure of a roadway's ability to accommodate vehicular traffic, ranging from free flow conditions (LOS A) to extreme congestion (LOS F). LOS D is considered the upper end of acceptable LOS. A 1994 report indicated that Route 4 was operating at LOS E and a 1993 report indicated that Stevens Road was operating at LOS F (WHC 1994c and BFRC 1993). The factors indicated previously, namely, Site employment reductions, and the heavy use of the new State Route 240 Access Road (peak hour volume of nearly 900 vehicles by mid-1995), have reduced the traffic congestion in these areas (Rogers 1995).
Traffic counts along Route 11A, which is just to the east of the Yakima Barricade off of State Route 240, show an ADT of approximately 1,260. Traffic counts along Route 10, just to the north of its terminus at State Route 240, show an ADT of approximately 2,440 (WHC 1994c).
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