U.S. Route 97 Alternate (US 97 Alt., also abbreviated as US 97A) is an

alternate route An official alternate route is a special route in the United States that provides an alternate alignment for a highway. They are loop roads and found in many road systems in the United States including the U.S. Highway system and various stat ...

of US 97 within the state of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. It runs for from

Wenatchee Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the stat ...

to Chelan, following the west bank of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

opposite from US 2 and US 97. The highway travels through sparsely populated areas along the river and passes near the

Rocky Reach Dam Rocky Reach Dam is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric dam in the U.S. state of Washington owned and operated by Chelan County Public Utility District. It has 11 generators rated in total 1300 MW. The project is on the Columbia River in north cen ...

and through the town of Entiat.

Wagon road ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the N ...

s along the west side of the Columbia River were plotted in the 1880s by American settlers and added to the state highway system in 1897. The wagon road was designated as State Road 10 (later the Lake Chelan and Okanogan Highway) and was completely paved by the late 1930s. US 97 was created in 1926 and followed the highway, which was relocated in the 1950s due to the construction of the Rocky Reach Dam. A highway on the east side of the river was completed in the 1980s and designated as part of US 97 in 1987, leaving the west side to become an alternate route.

Route description

US 97A begins north of

at a

partial cloverleaf interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...

with US 2 and US 97 at the west end of the Richard Odabashian Bridge. US 2 and US 97 travel concurrently through the area on an east–west divided highway, while the roadway itself continues south towards Wenatchee Confluence State Park as Euclid Avenue. US 97A travels north alongside the

Cascade and Columbia River Railroad The Cascade and Columbia River Railroad is a short line railroad that interchanges with BNSF Railway in Wenatchee, Washington, and runs north to Oroville, Washington, Oroville. The line from Wenatchee to Oroville was built in 1914 by the Great ...

on the west bank of the

, passing through an industrial area and intersecting Ohme Garden Road at a

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

. The highway narrows to two lanes and moves closer to the river, abutting the steep slopes of the

Entiat Mountains The Entiat Mountains, or Entiat Range, is a mountain range in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. Located west of the Columbia River, north of the Wenatchee River, and south of the Entiat River, the range is part of the North Ca ...

to the west. Along this section of the river, US 97A passes

and its

visitor center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic c ...

, located opposite Lincoln Rock State Park on US 2 and US 97. The highway continues northeast alongside the Columbia River and

Lake Entiat Lake Entiat (also known as Rocky Reach Reservoir) is a reservoir between Chelan County and Douglas County in North Central Washington, USA, that is formed above Rocky Reach Dam (built 1962), a hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River The ...

, passing several resort communities on the riverbank. US 97A and the railroad move closer to the riverbank near Tenas George Canyon and gradually turn north, crossing several creeks that empty into the lake. Near Numeral Mountain, the highway crosses over the mouth of the

Entiat River The Entiat River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining the Columbia near Entiat. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) lists two variant names for the Entiat River: ''En-ti-at-kwa River'' and ''Entiatqua River''. The river's name is ...

and enters the

city limit City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate li ...

s of Entiat. US 97A travels to the west of several waterfront parks and recreation areas and skirts the east edge of the city's main commercial and residential neighborhoods. The highway passes the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center and continues out of the city, continuing along the river as it bends eastward near

Winesap Winesap is an old apple cultivar of unknown origin, dating at least to American colonial times. Its apples are sweet with a tangy finish. They are used for eating, cooking, and are especially prized for making cider. The mountains to the west of US 97A form part of the Chelan Wildlife Area, which stretches along the west side of the river from Wenatchee to Chelan. At the mouth of Navarre Coulee, the highway intersects the south end of SR 971, which travels north to Lake Chelan State Park. US 97A continues northeast for a short distance before leaving the river and railroad at Knapp's Hill, which the highway crosses under with a short tunnel. The highway turns north to follow Knapp Coulee, which lies at the eastern edge of the

Wenatchee National Forest Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the stat ...

, and passes through a

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

and

zipline A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide''Who Really Benefits from Tourism'', Publ. Equations, Karnataka, India, 2010. Working Papers Series. "Canopy Tourism"page 37/ref>Jacques Marais, Lisa De Speville, ''Adventure Racing'', ...

park. US 97A ascends into the coulee's narrower reaches, gaining a northbound

climbing lane A climbing lane, crawler lane (UK), or truck lane, is an additional roadway lane that allows heavy or underpowered vehicles to ascend a steep Grade (slope), grade without slowing other traffic. They are typically used by large trucks or semi-trail ...

, and then descends while turning northeast towards the shore of

Lake Chelan Lake Chelan ( ) is a narrow, long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. It is an overdeepened lake and resembles a fjord, with an average width of . Near its upper end, the lake surface lies more than below peaks less t ...

near the Bear Mountain Ranch

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

. After a stair-step turn to the east and north adjacent to several

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

, the highway intersects the north end of SR 971 and turns east onto Woodin Avenue. US 97A continues east along the foothills of the Chelan Butte and enters the city of Chelan near Lakeside Park. Woodin Avenue passes several resort hotels, a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

, and a

terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devices for a computer * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together ** Battery terminal, electrical contact used to ...

for the Lady of the Lake ferry that travels to Stehekin. Near

Chelan High School Chelan High School is a small rural public high school located in Chelan, Washington. It is located within the Cascade Mountains, lying on the edge of the North Cascades National Park and the Wenatchee National Forest. Chelan High School has an ...

, Woodin Avenue splits from US 97A, which continues east onto Webster Avenue and crosses over the

Chelan River The Chelan River is a tributary of the Columbia River, in the U.S. state of Washington. Just long, it is the shortest river in Washington. Lake Chelan Dam is located at the river's source: the outlet of Lake Chelan. Nearly the entire river's flo ...

near the Lake Chelan Dam. The highway then turns north onto Sanders Street and east onto Woodin Avenue, beginning a concurrency with SR 150 as it leaves downtown Chelan. US 97A and SR 150 pass through a commercial strip before splitting near the eastern outskirts of the city, with US 97A continuing northeast into the hills overlooking the Columbia River. The highway crosses part of the Gallagher Flat State Wildlife Recreation Area and travels just south of the Lake Chelan Airport before terminating at a junction with US 97 southwest of Azwell. US 97A uses

milepost A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...

s derived from US 97, beginning at 200 and ending at 240. In addition to carrying agricultural freight, the highway is a tourist route and is signed as part of the Cascade Loop Scenic Byway. The highway is maintained by the

Washington State Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...

(WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on state routes to measure traffic volume in terms of

annual average daily traffic Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided ...

. Average traffic volumes on US 97A range from a minimum of 2,800 vehicles at its eastern terminus northeast of Chelan to a maximum of 12,000 in downtown Chelan. A short section between US 2 and the Ohme Garden Road roundabout is designated as part of the National Highway System, a network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility. Link Transit operates daily bus service on the corridor, connecting Wenatchee to Entiat, Chelan, and Manson.

History

Aerial view of the Columbia River and Lake Entiat

The first

wagon road ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the N ...

s along the Columbia River were built by American settlers in the 1880s and followed earlier routes plotted by indigenous peoples and explorers like

George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

in the mid-19th century. The west side of the river was once used as an overland route by fur traders in the 1850s and constituted part of the

Okanagan Trail The Okanagan Trail was an inland route to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush from the Lower Columbia region of the Washington and Oregon Territories in 1858–1859. The route was essentially the same as that used by the Hudson's Bay Company fur brig ...

and the Cariboo Trail. A wagon road on the west side of the river was added to the state highway system in 1897, connecting Wenatchee to Twisp, and a sum of $15,000 ( dollars) was appropriated to Kittitas and Okanogan counties for construction. The Wenatchee–

Pateros Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros (; ), is the lone municipality of the Philippines, municipality of Metropolitan Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,227 people. This munic ...

section of the wagon road was assigned in 1905 as part of State Road 10, which continued north along the

Okanogan River The Okanogan River (known as the Okanagan River in Canada) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau region called t ...

to the

Canadian border The borders of Canada include: * To the south and west: An international boundary with the United States, forming the Canada–United States border, longest shared border in the world, ; (Informally referred as the 49th parallel north which make ...

. Within the next three years, State Road 10 was improved using state funds, including $20,000 ( dollars) allocated to Chelan County for the Wenatchee–Pateros section, particularly the southern stretch through Entiat. By 1915, Chelan County had improved the road surface between Wenatchee and Maple Creek, southwest of the city of Chelan, and the Great Northern Railway had begun negotiations to purchase the highway's

right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

for a new railroad connecting Wenatchee to Okanogan. The railway company rebuilt the highway, relocating it inland to make way for its railroad, at a cost of $150,000 (equivalent to $ in dollars) per an agreement it reached with the state highway commission. State Road 10 was renamed to the Lake Chelan and Okanogan Highway by a legislative act in 1917 and moved to the east side of the river in 1923, ending a decade-long debate on where the highway should run. US 97 was created as part of the initial system of numbered national highways in 1926, running from

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 in Oregon, Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population w ...

, to the Canadian border near

Oroville Oroville may refer to: * Oroville, California, United States * Oroville, Washington, United States ;Other uses * Lake Oroville, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Dam, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Municipal Airport, in Butt ...

. The highway was co-signed with State Road 10 from Wenatchee to the border. State Road 10 was relocated to its original alignment on the west side of the Columbia River, which had been improved with oiled

macadam Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam , in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the original mat ...

surfacing, and was later signed as Primary State Highway 10 (PSH 10) in the 1937 reformation of the state highway system. By the end of the 1930s, the entirety of US 97 and PSH 10 had been paved in concrete and asphalt. A notoriously hilly section of the highway at Maple Creek was replaced by the Knapp's Hill Tunnel, which opened in 1936. The development of

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

s on the Columbia River began in the 1930s and expanded after the end of World War II. The planned reservoir created by the

, located near Orondo, would inundate of shoreline, including the city of Entiat and sections of PSH 10 and the adjacent Great Northern Railway. Construction of the dam began in 1956 and several

contracts A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

were awarded two years later for the uphill relocation of the highway, which began shortly afterward. The new, section of the highway between the dam and Knapp's Hill was constructed in one year, opening in November 1959 at a cost of $8 million (equivalent to $ in dollars), and involved several large cuts in the nearby hills. During the 1964 state highway renumbering, PSH 10 was fully replaced by US 97, while the unfinished highway on the east side of the river between Wenatchee and Chelan Falls became US 2 and SR 151. A "water-grade" route for US 97 along the east bank of the Columbia River was envisioned in the 1940s and was constructed in sections as part of improvements to SR 151. These improvements included a new alignment for the highway during construction of the Rocky Reach Dam and a new bridge crossing at Chelan Falls. The $14.6 million alignment (equivalent to $ in dollars) following the river for between Chelan Falls and Azwell was opened in September 1985, completing the water-grade route along the Columbia River. The state legislature moved US 97 to the east bank route in 1987 and designated the old highway on the west bank as US 97 Alternate. The redesignation was controversial with Chelan and Entiat businessmen, who feared a loss of business and traffic along the alternate route, but the state government cited predicted traffic volumes as its main determinant for the signing of US 97 onto the eastern route. The change was submitted to the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering, a group within the

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway A highway is any public or private road ...

(AASHTO) that coordinates the numbering of national highways, and was approved at their June 1988 meeting after being initially withheld. In May 1995, a major landslide near the Rocky Reach Dam covered a section of the highway with of debris and killed two people. The alternate route was identified in the 1990s as a particularly dangerous highway for single-vehicle collisions, most involving drunk drivers or encounters with deer and elk. WSDOT tallied more than 400 deer killed in collisions with automobiles from 1991 to 1998 and dozens of sheep and elk, prompting plans to install a wildlife fence on US 97A near the Rocky Reach Dam to deter highway crossings. The wildlife fence was installed between 2009 and 2011 after several years of delays while waiting for $2.8 million in funding from the federal and state government. A section of US 97A in Sunnyslope was rebuilt and repaved by WSDOT in 2013 and included the construction of a roundabout at Ohme Garden Road to aid freight traffic. The Wenatchee city government plans to construct an extension of the highway across the Wenatchee River and into the city as part of the Confluence Parkway project.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{State highways in Washington related to US 97 Alternate (Washington) 97 Alternate (Chelan, Washington) Transportation in Chelan County, Washington 97 Alternate 97 Alternate Wenatchee, Washington