UNION GAP, Wash. — On a daily average, 3,400 trucks hauling freight travel along Main Street and Valley Mall Boulevard in Union Gap, Wash., just to access Interstate 82.
But the route, city officials say, is a recipe for disaster with Valley Mall and other shopping centers nearby. Large 18-wheeler trucks often are forced to mix with commuters and shoppers through a series of roundabouts that form the Valley Mall Boulevard and I-82 interchange.