A portion of Highway 240 is closing at noon today while the Port of Benton works on railroad crossings along the roadway.  

The route will be closed between Stevens Drive and Kingsgate Way, and drivers will be detoured north on Stevens Drive, west on Battelle Boulevard and south on Kingsgate Way to reconnect with the highway. The route will reopen at 6 a.m. Monday, June 2. 

The railroad crossing project includes: 

• Replacing the existing railroad crossing with new concrete panels. 

• Repaving both sides of the crossing. 

• Installing new track, ties and a rail signal cabinet. 

• Replacing gate mechanisms. 

• Upgrading crossing lights to energy-efficient LEDs. 

The project is funded through an $865,000 National Highway Freight Program Grant via the Washington State Department of Transportation and $800,000 in port matching funds.  

Additionally, WSDOT will launch a separate improvement project along Highway 240 at its intersection with Hagen Road in June. That work will include the reconstruction and widening of the highway and signal modifications and is expected to wrap up in August.