A new and affordable option for getting to and from the Tri-Cities Airport is about to roll out.

Beginning June 16, Ben Franklin Transit will have a new limited-stop express route between Richland and Pasco, with a curbside stop at the airport.

The new Express 2X route will run from 6-9 a.m. Monday through Friday and then again from 2-6 p.m., with an estimated 30-minute route time. BFT and airport officials recently signed an agreement for BFT to pay for improvements at the site where charter buses currently unload at the airport, making it more accessible for those with limited mobility.

The 2X route and another new express route connecting east Kennewick and central Richland are intended to make travel between the cities quicker, Kevin Sliger, BFT chief planning and development officer, told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. But an opportunity to include a stop at the airport was something the agency had been looking to do.

“It’s something the community has asked for consistently. Our board has asked why we don’t have direct service,” Sliger said.

This won’t be the first time BFT has offered curbside drop off at the airport. Sliger said the agency had an airport stop on a route in the past, but the airport was smaller and not as busy as it is now so it was discontinued.

Now, though, the airport is seeing tens of thousands of passengers flying out of its gates every month. And it also has grown, which means there are more people working at the airport as well, from ticket agents to ground crew.

Sliger said the agency will be monitoring use of the route. While he can’t predict how many will use it initially, he said BFT is expecting between 20 to 30 boardings daily related to the airport stop.

“With new routes and new stops, it takes a little bit of time for people to know about and use the stops,” he said.

But BFT already plans to up the frequency of the route beginning in August. And the agreement with the airport also allows BFT to build a bus stop shelter in the future to better serve waiting riders.