 Under the state law, passed despite opposition from Yakima legislators, SSH 11C would not be built until a bridge replacing the Vernita ferry was ready for traffic.The highway was rebuilt at a cost of $770,000 (equivalent to $ in dollars) and opened on July 14, 1965, linking Richland to the nearly-complete Vernita Bridge.An additional of the highway, bypassing the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in North Richland, opened on June 20, 1968.