BENTON CITY, WA State Sen. Curtis King and Benton City Mayor Lloyd Carnahan celebrated the groundbreaking on a new roundabout along Interstate 82 in Benton City, Washington, with residents. The roundabout is one of many Connecting Washington projects bringing safety, economic, environmental, and mobility improvements to the local area and throughout the state.

"(The Connecting Washington Revenue Package) does a variety of things," said Sen. Curtis King. "To me, it really connects the state and I think the name is appropriate because it connects us from Washougal to Omak, from Blaine to Asotin. It covers the breadth and width of this state and I think this is a prime example of the 65 to 70 road highway projects that are in this package. This is one, as we had said, has been a long time coming."

Hosted by the Washington State Department of Transportation, the ceremony ushered in the first of two construction phases on the Red Mountain Interchange Improvements. It also is the first project to kick off numerous Connecting Washington transportation improvements statewide.

Adjacent to I-82, this first phase of planned improvements replaces the existing State Route 224/State Route 225 intersection with a roundabout, relocates the existing park and ride lot and improves street lighting and sidewalks in the area. The new roundabout will reduce congestion and improve access to Benton City and the Red Mountain area, which is vital to expanding the economic vitality of the region.

Contractor crews will begin work this month. The total budget for the Red Mountain Interchange Improvements is $30 million, with $4.5 million allocated for this first phase roundabout project.