Highway changes spell trouble for wineries

Promises of signs and access have yet to be fulfilled owners say, and business is hurting.

VICKI HILLHOUSE
WALLA WALLA UNION-BULLETIN

Vintageloop2
Andy Porter
A road sign on Old Highway 12 mistakenly denotes the roadway as being "Vintage Loop." The highway designation was proposed earlier in the design phase for phase 6 of the new U.S. Highway 12, but later dropped. The Washington state Department of Transportation, which put up the sign, will be replacing the marker in the near future, Walla Walla County officials have said. (July 8, 2010)
Links
Email_black_18  E-mail           Print_black_18  Print            Talk_black_18  Comments
Advertisement

More 'Local'

  1. Personal touch in speech nets shot at national competition
  2. Rally changed to anti-gang demonstration
  3. Click It or Ticket patrols to begin
  4. Chance to become a 'star' fades quickly
  5. Few contested races in Columbia, Garfield counties
  6. Local candidates throw hats in ring for offices
  7. Pedestrian hurt in hit-and-run
More Stories:   Today's News | This Week

WALLA WALLA -- The benefits of safety and commerce seem an ironic twist to winery operators along an eight-mile stretch of "the old highway 12."

North of Cougar Crest, Glencorrie, Skylite Cellars and several others, the new U.S. Highway 12 -- widened, realigned and celebrated Thursday as a safer roadway for travelers -- is killing business, some say.

Opened two weeks ago to traffic, the new stretch of highway between Walla Walla and Frenchtown has not only taken the drive-by traffic, it's cut off connections for those who were destined for the wineries in the first place, said Skylite Cellars owner Cheryl Hodgins.

Access to her winery along the old highway at 25 Campbell Road has been blocked from the east and the west, and the connection from the new highway to the old one has yet to be complete. The winery's weekend traffic has consequently been cut off from about 200 visitors to zero, she said.


» Read the Full Story (Subscribe)
If you are a print or online subscriber, please log in to read the full version of the story. If you are not a subscriber and would like to read the full version, sign up for a print or online subscription.


Commentsicon2
Posted by rhbjab at 07/09/10 03:43PM        Post ID#: #459

I totally agree that the connecting road should have been in place. It is a real pain to go clear into Walla Walla and 2nd Stree to get to the highway to go to the Tri-Cities. We used to get on a Myra Rd. And what a fiasco that is! 2 round abouts--one not finished! Now, how does that help the truckers get from the Milton Hwy to Hwy 12 easier!? An all-way stop sign/or a stop light with straight roads crossing would have been much easier for everyone and it would have been a lot less expensive! This is just amazing!...and not in a good way. The new highway is nice to drive on, though.

Report Violation
Log in or Subscribe to leave a comment.

Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the Walla Walla Valley. Comment writers should refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks, and comments should be free of any personally identifiable information, such as e-mail addresses, mailing addresses and phone numbers. If you believe a comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the "report violation" link by the comment.

Registered User?