Transportation

Roads and Highways

Without question, the major thoroughfare in Kittitas County is Interstate-90 (I-90), which runs centrally through the entire county. I-90/Snoqualmie Pass is a crucial transportation artery carrying passengers and freight across Washington State. More than 10 million travelers, including significant commercial traffic, cross Snoqualmie Pass each year. At the crossroads of Kittitas County, Interstate-82 travels south to the city of Yakima and beyond, and US Highway 97 provides access to Wenatchee and British Columbia via Blewett Pass. Other notable highways within the county are State Routes 10, 821 and 970.

Airports

Bowers Field is located in Kittitas County and was originally built as a response to the nation’s involvement in World War II, Bowers Field, north of Ellensburg, Washington, was created using federal taxes designated for the war effort. After the war, the airport and the surrounding 1,100 acres were deeded to Kittitas County in 1948 with the understanding that the airport would continue in operation as a public airport and that revenue from the surrounding property would be used to support it. The airport has existed in several ownerships first being private/local citizens, US Government, City of Ellensburg, Port District and finally Kittitas County who is the current owner.

Bowers Field is a public use general aviation airport owned by Kittitas County. It is located on 1,300 acres approximately 5 miles from Exit 106 and Exit 109 from I-90 and 2 miles from the City of Ellensburg. Approximately 125 acres of the property is zoned for light industrial and commercial development.

The airport has a fueling facility, and 12 County owned T-Hangar (rentals) and 12 privately owned small aircraft hanger units with ground leases available for more private hangars with a 20,000 sq. ft. main hanger. The Airport has two runways, 7-25 and 11-29. Runway 7-25 is 5,590 feet long, 150 feet wide, and has an asphalt surface. Runway 25 has a GPS non-precision approach. Runway 11-29 is 4,300 feet long, 150 feet wide, has a concrete surface, and is equipped with pilot controlled medium intensity runway lights. Vertical guidance to Runway 29 is provided by visual approach slope indicators. Runway 29 is also equipped with an omni-directional approach lighting system and runway end indicator lights. VOR or GPS-A and VOR or BPS-B non precision approaches provide guidance to the Airport, but not a specific runway. The airport has the capacity to serve single-engine, multi-engine, small jets, helicopters, gliders, military, ultra-light, and sea planes. Currently the airport is serving 45 single engines, 4 multi-engines, 6 helicopters, and 1 ultra-light.

Mid-State Aviation, Inc. is the fixed operator (FBO) for the Bowers Field Airport. General aviation operational activity at the airport accounts for nearly 6,100 passengers and visitors providing a total of 73 direct impact jobs. Mid-State Aviation provides aviation fuel, aircraft parking (ramp or tie down), flight school/flight training, aircraft charters, aircraft maintenance, aircraft interiors, aviation accessories, pilot supplies courtesy cars (free for pilots to use in the local area), and public telephones. There is no scheduled flight service at Bowers Field.

Source: Kittitas County; Washington State Department of Transportation; Mid-State Aviation

Cle Elum Municipal Airport is located in Kittitas County, one mile east of the City of Cle Elum at an elevation of 1,945. The City of Cle Elum has owned and operated the airport since 1959. Improvements were in 2009.

Runway 7-25 is at a length of 2,379’ and a width of 60’. The runway has a Runway Safety Area (RSA) at each end of the runway. The runway is designed for aircraft in the category of B-1 (small) ARC which is aircraft less than 12,500 pounds and the design aircraft is a Beech King Air B100 with a maximum takeoff weight of 5,352 pounds. The runway has been raised 10” from its previous elevation and now includes 5” of crushed rock sub-base, 3” of crushed rock base with 2” of asphalt on top. The airport is equipped with pilot controlled medium intensity runway lighting, runway edge lights, runway end threshold lights, REILS and PAPI’s.

There is not a paved aircraft apron area at the Airport, however transient aircraft can park in the grassy area west of the connector taxiway. Steel cables are provided for aircraft tie-down and there is no charge to use the tie-down area. There are five privately owned hangars at the airport that sit on leased City land, and currently there are no other hangars public or private for lease. There are currently no phone or fuel facilities located at the airport. Future projects will include land acquisition for expansion of the runway to the west, perimeter fencing, helicopter pads, paved tie down apron, parallel taxiway construction, hangar construction, access road reconstruction and fuel storage to name a few.

Source: City of Cle Elum

Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field: The nearest available commercial services are found in Yakima at the Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field, located approximately 36 miles from Ellensburg. Runway 09-27 is 7,604 feet long and 150 feet wide. Runway 04-22 is 3,835 feet long and 150 feet wide. Horizon Air, in partnership with Alaska Airlines, provides four flights per day to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) onboard the 76 seat Bombardier Q400 high-speed turboprop. Rental car services are available in the main lobby of the terminal through Hertz and Budget rental car companies. Also located at the air terminal is the McAllister Airport Museum. Both long term and short term parking is provided directly adjacent to the terminal building.

The airport is owned by the City of Yakima and Yakima County and is managed and operated by an independent Board of Directors and airport staff in accordance with an Airport Joint Operations Agreement. Maintenance and operations of the airport are funded solely through revenues generated by the airport. There are three FBO’s.

Source: Washington State Department of Transportation and Yakima Air Terminal

Rail

Burlington Northern Santa Fe provides rail access through Ellensburg for cargo shipping within Washington State and throughout the nation. The BNSF has rail access through Ellensburg for intra-state cargo shipping. Typically rail cargo consists of hay, frozen foods, grain and wood products. There is no passenger service available in Kittitas County.

Trucking

There are numerous trucking companies registered to operate in Kittitas County some with local storage facilities.