The Plymouth Weigh Station for motorists crossing the Columbia River from Oregon into eastern Washington is being demolished, according to the Tri-City Herald.

The station at Interstate 82 and Highway 14 will be closed until late next year.

The Washington State Department of Transportation in partnership with the Washington State Patrol launched the $14 million project over the summer. Granite Construction Co. of Yakima is the contractor.

The two agencies determined that the port of entry needed to be updated to better perform its mission of screening commercial vehicles for compliance with state regulations.

According to the Washington DOT, the contract "requires demolition of the existing scale house and related existing infrastructure, including decommissioning existing septic system."

When demolition concludes, a scale house, inspection building and restroom will be constructed, along with new electrical, mechanical, water and sewage systems, pavement, curbs, gutters, safety barriers, lights and more, the newspaper reported.

There will be two scale pits, one on either side of the building, along with an inspection building with two bays and a pit, the Tri-City Herald reported.

The station will feature electronic screening equipment, which allows enforcement agencies to waive more vehicles past weigh stations. That saves money, fuel and time.

WSDOT estimates its system processed more than 6.5 million commercial trucks statewide in 2023, the paper reported. Of those, 3.36 million equipped with transponders or identified by license plates received green light signals allowing them to bypass open weigh stations, up from 3.08 million in 2022.

A WSDOT spokesperson told the newspaper that the new station is expected to open in fall 2025.

The state-funded project includes provisions to support small businesses and veteran-owned businesses.