WAPATO – The 2025 highway construction season is winding down in the Yakima Valley. The Washington State Department of Transportation completed projects on US 12 near Rimrock and State Route 821 in East Selah. Work at US 97 and Lateral A in Wapato will pause for the winter and pick back up next spring.

In September, contractor crews began construction on a new roundabout on US 97 at the Lateral A intersection. All southbound lanes are open and moving through the partially completed roundabout. The northbound lanes remain in the existing two-lane configuration. 

There is full access to the business center west of the highway, and travelers on northbound US 97 can turn left onto Lateral A. Construction will resume in spring 2026 and the project is expected to be complete by summer 2026.

This project is part of an ongoing partnership between WSDOT and the Yakama Nation to improve safety along the US 97 corridor between Union Gap and Toppenish. The Lateral A roundabout will be the third constructed along this stretch of highway.

Contractor crews also repaired an embankment on US 12 near Rimrock Lake and repaved several sections along SR 821 in East Selah.