The racing in the Tri-Cities wasn’t just limited to the Columbia River this Water Follies weekend.
Washington State Patrol stopped about 10 drivers speeding more than 100 mph on Interstate 82. Three of those were caught before 8 a.m. on Friday.
““We’re off to the races … literally,” Trooper Chris Thorson said on Friday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The annual Water Follies Columbia Cup and STCU Over the River Air Show brought thousands to the Kennewick and Pasco shorelines for the three-day event. And Richland’s popular Art in the Park show added thousands more to the roadways.
The state patrol planned ahead for the traffic by bringing in additional troopers to monitor the highways. That included support from motorcycle troopers and a WSP airplane.
The airplane spotted three speeders early Friday near the Washington State Patrol office on I-82. Troopers caught two more over the course of the day and then another two or three on Saturday and Sunday, Thorson told the Herald.
But even with the reckless driving, the number of crashes dropped for the third straight year. Troopers responded to 14 crashes, which was down from 20 in 2023 and 22 in 2022, Thorson said.
“We were happy to report that there were no serious injury or fatality collisions,” he said.
Drunk driving arrests were the same as last year.
Troopers made eight DUI arrests this year and in 2023 and 12 in 2022.
Thorson is hopeful that attendees knew ahead of time that police and troopers would be out in force.
However, he noted that the arrests and tickets weren’t necessarily tied to people attending Water Follies or Art in the Park.
In all, troopers and police in Benton and Franklin counties arrested 18 drunk drivers and three people for reckless driving.
Police agencies from across the region had officers and deputies stationed at Columbia Park and on the Pasco side of the river during the races. Few problems were reported.
They responded to one man urinating in public and another who was wanted for outstanding warrants. There also were five medical emergencies on the Columbia Park side, Kennewick police Commander Isaac Merkl said Monday.
Source Agencies
