Transportation

Public Transportation

In Kittitas County, there exist local and suburban transit systems and intercity highway transportation operations. They are Greyhound Bus Lines, Kittitas County Connector (KCAC Transportation), Central Cab, Rodeo Town Taxi and Valley Cab.

Roads and Highways

Without question, the major thoroughfare in Kittitas County is Interstate 90, which runs centrally for the entire east-west length of the county. Interstate 90 provides an excellent route westward out of the county to Puget Sound area and eastward out of the county to Spokane and points further east . At Ellensburg, commuters can switch from Interstate 90 to Interstate 82 and travel south to the city of Yakima, the Tri Cities area and into Oregon.

Also significant is U.S. 97, which when used to enter Kittitas County from the north intersects Interstate 90 near Ellensburg. Other notable thoroughfares within the county are State Routes 10, 821, 903 and 970.

Air

The Kittitas County Airport (Bowers Field) is a public use general aviation airport operated by Kittitas County, located 2 miles north of the City of Ellensburg and 3 miles from the nearest I-90 exit.

The airport has 2 runways. The main runway is 11-29, 4,300 feet long and 150 feet wide and has transmitter-activated lights, from sunset to sunrise, is equipped at the "29" end with runway end identifier lights (REILS), lead-in lights, and Visual Approach Slope Indicators (VASI). Runway 7-25 is 5,552 feet long and 150 feet wide. A VOR is located 2.5 miles east of the airport and provides a non-precision approach. Both runways have distance-to-go markers. The runways converge in an eastward direction, forming a V-shaped configuration.

Bowers Field has a fixed operator (FBO) for the airport providing for aircraft maintenance, instruction and charter fights. The airport serves single-engine, twin-engine and turboprop aircrafts. There is no scheduled flight service.

80 acres of the 1,240 airport property has been zoned for an industrial park or commercial development. The airport currently has 12 county t-hanger rentals, a fueling facility, 20,000 sq. ft main hanger, 10 private t-hangers and ground leases available for more private t-hangers.

The nearest available commercial services are found in Yakima at the McAllister Field. Two commuter airlines (Horizon and Sky West) provide 32 flights per day. Eighty-five percent are to Seattle and fifteen percent to Portland. Six airfreight services are available. The runway is 7,060 feet long and is an instrument approach runway. Ellensburg is approximately 100 miles east of Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

Rail

Burlington Northern Santa Fe provides rail access through Ellensburg for intrastate cargo shipping. Typically rail access consists of hay, frozen foods, grain, and wood products. There is not passenger service available in Kittitas County. The nearest passenger rail service is available in Wenatchee (approximately 40 miles north of Ellensburg). Limited service is offered at this location. More options are available out of Seattle.

Trucking

There are several trucking companies registered to operate in Kittitas County. The following is a list of the top ten, local trucking companies (more are available upon request):

Company	Fleet Size	Primary Cargo
ANR - Garrett Freight	6 Trucks / 8 Trailers	General Freight
Okanogan Seattle Transport	10 Trucks / 20 Trailers	General Freight
Middle-State Hauling	5 Trucks / 6 Trailers	Heavy Equipment, Gravel
Ward Rugh, Inc.	23 Trucks / 54 Trailers	Ag products, hay
American Container Transport	23 Trucks / 23 Trailers	Frozen foods
McNeight Express	15 Trucks / 9 Trailers	Frozen Freight
Alfred Hansen	5 Trucks / 5 Trailers	Hay, Local

Economic Development Group of Kittitas County - P.O. Box 598 - Ellensburg, WA 98926-0598