Traffic Lights Out on SR-395 in Kennewick Caused Long Backups

If you headed through Kennewick on SR-395 this morning, you likely had issues.

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The Washington State Patrol District 3 PIO reported that a power outage impacted traffic lights along SR-395 at the Yelm Avenue intersection. When the lights go dark on a busy stretch like that, things back up fast, and it led to over a mile of waiting traffic.

Morning Traffic Backup in Kennewick SR-395 Near Yelm Avenue

SR-395 through Kennewick is already one of the busier roads in town, especially during peak morning commute hours. Non-functioning traffic signals turned that intersection into a four-way stop.

If you are not familiar with the law, when traffic lights are out, drivers are supposed to treat the intersection as a stop sign in all directions. Unfortunately, not everyone remembers that in the moment, which can add to the confusion and delays.

Police Said to Use SR-240 as an Alternate Route

Troopers told drivers to avoid the area if possible and use SR-240 instead of SR-395. The lights are working again now, but if you have issues in the future at Yelm (like the car accident the day before), remember that option to save time.

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Situations like this can change quickly, so if you are ever heading that way, give yourself extra time to check Google Maps traffic.