Washington State Route 128

On Monday, July 4, 2011, we drove Washington State Route 128 across the Snake to Idaho!

RCW 47.17.255
State route No. 128:

A state highway to be known as state route number 128 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 12 in Clarkston, thence northeasterly and easterly by way of the Red Wolf crossing to the Idaho state line.

Despite the photographed sign only mentioning US 12 and SR 193, this intersection is the beginning of Highway 128. Once upon a time, this was the eastern end of SR 128 instead of the western end. The route used to wind through the hills, roughly parallel to Highway 12 from Pomeroy to Clarkston. No longer.


We cruise onto the elegant bridge, signed Red Wolf Crossing, and peer either way at the mighty Snake River. Facing the cliff and the stop sign, we arrive at the end of the bridge and the intersection with SR 193. The bridge we just crossed used to be SR 193, but no longer. Nowadays, we stay on SR 128 as we turn right.


Speeding up to 55 mph, we race toward the morning sun. A short mile-and-a-half later, we've reached Idaho. Washington Highway 128 becomes Idaho Highway 128. How nice of our neighbors to number it thusly!

Being one of only three bridges across the Snake River in the Lewiston-Clarkston area (with no bridges for fifty miles north of town and none for over a hundred miles southward), Highway 128 gets a lot of traffic for such a short route. Nice views, too.