Washington State Route 281

State Route 281
Map of Grant County in central Washington with SR 281 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of SR 28
Defined by RCW 47.17.505
Maintained by WSDOT
Major junctions
South end:	I‑90 near George
	SR 281 Spur near George
North end:	SR 28 in Quincy
Location
Counties:	Grant
Highway system
State Highways in Washington Interstate US State Scenic Former PSH 1964 renumbering Former ← SR 278 SR 282 →

State Route 281 (SR 281) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, connecting I-90 near George with SR 28 in Quincy.

Route description

SR 281 begins at a diamond interchange with exit 149 of I-90 just north of the city of George. The highway snakes through some farmland before turning north, and intersecting its spur route, which connects the highway back to I-90 in the south. Continuing north, the highway passes a weigh station while continuing through farmland. Passing west of the Quincy Municipal Airport, the highway continues north before terminating at an intersection with SR 28 in Quincy.^[1]

Every year the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2009, WSDOT calculated that as many as 7,000 cars used the highway near the northern terminus at SR 28 and as few as 3,500 cars used the highway near the southern terminus at I-90.^[2]

The entire highway is listed on both the WSDOT List of Highways of Statewide Significance,^[3] which marks the highway as a critical to connecting major communities in the state, and the National Highway System, a system of roads that are important to the nation's economy, defense and mobility.^[4]

History

The first road that traveled south from Quincy was part of the Sunset Highway, first designated in 1915.^[5] By 1931, the highway was designated as part of Primary State Highway 7, which remained the highways designation until the 1964 renumbering, when the road's designation was changed to the current SR 281.^[6]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Grant County.

Location	mi[7]	km	Destinations	Notes
	0.00	0.00	I‑90 – Seattle, Spokane
	2.65	4.26	SR 281 Spur to I‑90 – Seattle, Moses Lake, Spokane
Quincy	10.55	16.98	SR 28 – Wenatchee, Ephrata
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Spur route

Burke Spur
Location:	North of George
Length:	1.69 mi[7] (2.72 km)

A National Highway System listed 1.69-mile (2.72 km) long spur route connects SR 281 back to I-90 2.65 mi (4.26 km) from SR 281's southern interchange with I-90, and to SR 283.^[4][8] Between 2,000 and 3,600 cars travel on the highway on an average day.^[2]

References

1. Google (November 25, 2010). "SR 281" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
2. "2009 Annual Traffic Report" (PDF). WSDOT. p. 167–168. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
3. "List of Highways of Statewide Significance" (PDF). WSDOT. July 26, 2009. p. 2. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
4. "Washington State National Highway System (NHS) Designated Highways" (PDF). November 1, 2002. p. 2. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
5. Washington State Highways (DjVu) (Map). Washington State Highway Commission. 1915. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
6. "Sign Route Numbers with Corresponding Legislative Highway Numbers" (PDF). Washington State Department of Highways. December 1, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
8. Google (November 25, 2010). "SR 281 Spur" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 25, 2010.

External links

• Highways of Washington State