The torn-up stretch of Van Giesen Street between Keene Road and Grosscup Boulevard was never meant to be the big Red Mountain project. The state first set aside the money for a new I-82 interchange near Red Mountain, funded through the 2015 Connecting Washington package. In 2019, federal officials turned the interchange down because traffic counts were too low. The city moved the money to SR 224 instead, which is the stretch of Van Giesen that runs through West Richland's older commercial area.
So the route into Red Mountain no longer runs off the freeway. It runs down the street West Richland uses for groceries, coffee and the post office. This October, that street is partly finished. Two roundabouts are confirmed open, pilot cars are still running on the east end, and the wineries at the far end have a full harvest calendar.
How the Interchange Money Ended Up on Van Giesen
The Tri-City Herald reported in July 2025 that the overall budget is $33.7 million. Most of it, $32.2 million, comes from Connecting Washington. The rest is $960,000 in federal money, $450,000 from the city and $91,500 from Benton County. The construction contract itself is a smaller figure. City quick facts put it at $18.25 million, with a schedule running from July 2025 to December 2026.
Apollo Inc. is the contractor, and work officially began on July 14, 2025. Within a month, the Operating Engineers Local 302 strike stopped work on the project. The city's own description of the project shows why the money stayed in West Richland after the interchange fell through:
"This is more than jus another roadway project, it is a major investment in revitalizing an underserved area, supporting new growth, and enhancing access to the Tri-Cities region and the Red Mountain AVA."
That line is on the City of West Richland's SR 224 project page, typo included. It describes a road meant to serve two groups: people heading out to the AVA, and people who live along the 3.5-mile corridor.
Five Roundabouts, Two Confirmed Open
The five roundabout sites are listed below from the Keene Road end to the Grosscup end. Each status comes from the city's September 30, 2026 update.
- Keene Road. Open. Crews are still working on landscaping and the beacon crossing.
- Paradise Way. Open. The roadway between Paradise Way and Belmont Boulevard is also open. The section from Keene Road to Paradise Way is still closed to through traffic, and only residents can enter from the Keene end.
- Belmont Boulevard. The city says SR 224 is open from Ruppert Road to 62nd Avenue, with crews making final storm-facility adjustments. The update doesn't call this roundabout finished.
- North 62nd Avenue. This sits inside the zone where crews are doing final roundabout striping, pedestrian push buttons and sidewalks. The road is down to one lane during working hours, with an Apollo pilot car running from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Grosscup Boulevard. Grosscup is closed, and traffic is detoured to North 62nd Avenue. SR 224 here also has one-lane pilot-car control from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Crews are placing rock, pouring curbs and installing storm drains.
The pattern explains the drive right now. The Red Mountain end is mostly paved and open. The work left is on the east end, closer to the post office.
Getting to Red Mountain While the East End Is Still Under Construction
For through traffic, the city recommends Bombing Range Road and Paradise Way. The city also says businesses along the corridor stay open, with access kept up during reconstruction.
Timing matters more than route. Pilot cars run from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Most of this month's Red Mountain harvest events start in the late afternoon or evening, after that window. The wineries below are in Benton City, out past the end of the corridor.
| Date | Event | Winery | Time | Listed price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 9 | Fall Club Release Party | Elk Haven Winery, 34101 Demoss Road | 4 to 8 p.m. | Free for club members, reservation required |
| Oct. 9 to 11 | Vineyard tours and tastings with seasonal bites | Tinte Cellars on Red Mountain, 32807 Vineyard View PR NE | Daily | $25 per nonmember guest |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Six-course harvest-season dinner | Terra Blanca, 34715 N. DeMoss Road | 6 to 9 p.m. | $160, or $135 for club members |
| Sun., Oct. 11 | Brunch at Elk Haven | Elk Haven Winery | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | WINEtober, seven seasonal hors d'oeuvres demonstrated by the chef | Terra Blanca | 6 to 9 p.m. | $85, or $65 for club members |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Murder Mystery Night | Terra Blanca | 7:30 p.m. | $55, or $45 for club members |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Mexican Cocina cooking class with executive chef Ray Torres | Terra Blanca | 6 to 9 p.m. | $85, or $75 for club members |
There are a few things to know before you go. Elk Haven says it will be closed to the general public on October 9 while the club party runs. Its Sunday brunch runs every week, not only on the 11th. The Thursday cooking class on October 29 is the only weekday evening event in the table. Crews have usually wrapped up by then, but check the city page and the winery's site the day you go, since both can change from week to week.
What's Opened Along the Corridor During Construction
Businesses haven't waited for the paving to finish. Friends Corner has opened a 4,000-square-foot convenience store on Van Giesen with a Lifeline coffee drive-through stand. The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business named OMASJ4 as the developer and LCR Construction as the builder.
Just off the corridor, The Brick Box has moved to 4001 Kennedy Road, Suite 16. The shop sells local art and coffee. Hours are 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. That makes it an early stop before a Red Mountain brunch.
The next project is proposed for 145 Belmont Blvd. It would be West Richland's first McDonald's, a 4,150-square-foot drive-through, with a gas station and coffee shop planned for the same site later. Construction is estimated at five months after approval, and no start date has been set. Belmont is one of the five roundabout intersections, so the proposal sits on the part of the corridor that's being rebuilt.
One addition on the corridor isn't a business. The West Richland Police Department installed a free dog-microchip scanning station at the east end of its parking lot, 7920 W. Van Giesen St. It's open around the clock. The Community Care Foundation helped make it happen, and City maintenance crews installed it.
November 7, Then the December Target
After harvest season, the next big date on Van Giesen is the West Richland Chamber of Commerce's 27th Annual West Richland Regional Veterans Day Parade. It starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2026, on West Van Giesen Street, and the Chamber lists it as free and family-friendly. The city says it planned the construction schedule so the parade wouldn't be disrupted. So far it hasn't posted a parade-day traffic plan.
The posted contract schedule runs through December 2026. The city's October 1 update still calls it a 17-plus-month project and links a construction schedule last revised February 4, 2026. That makes December the plan on paper, not a confirmed finish date.
Here's what the finished corridor will include, based on the plans the city and local reporting have described:
- A multi-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists
- A separated pathway extended toward Antinori Road, improving access to the Red Mountain AVA
- Sidewalks and center turn lanes
- Bus-stop pullouts for future transit service
- Beacon crossings and landscaping, already underway at Keene Road
The Antinori Road pathway ties back to the 2019 rejection. The interchange would have brought Red Mountain visitors in from the freeway. The rebuilt Van Giesen links them to West Richland's own streets, on foot as well as by car. For weekly updates, the West Richland Public Works Department takes questions at (509) 967-5434 or [email protected].
Gavin is a Tri-Cities native, and he watches how projects like this affect daily life along Van Giesen, from new businesses opening to the drive out to Red Mountain. If you have a question about what the rebuilt corridor means for your part of West Richland, Gavin Vargas is a quick call away. Work With Gavin.
