Washington State Route 261

State Route 261
SR 261 is highlighted in red.
Route information
Auxiliary route of SR 26
Maintained by WSDOT
Length	62.71 mi[1] (100.92 km)
Existed	1964[2]–present
Major junctions
South end	US 12 near Starbuck
Major intersections	SR 260 near Kahlotus SR 26 / SR 260 in Washtucna
North end	I-90 / US 395 in Ritzville
Location
Country	United States
State	Washington
Counties	Columbia, Franklin, Adams
Highway system
State highways in Washington Interstate US State Scenic Pre-1964 1964 renumbering Former
← SR 260 → SR 262

State Route 261 (SR 261) is a 62.71-mile-long (100.92 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. Serving Columbia, Franklin, and Adams counties, the highway begins at U.S. Route 12 (US 12) east of Starbuck and becomes concurrent with SR 260 from Kahlotus to SR 26 in Washtucna before ending at Interstate 90 (I-90) and US 395 in Ritzville. The highway has been legislated since 1937 from Ritzville to Washtucna as Secondary State Highway 11E (SSH 11E) and in 1957 from Washtucna to the Starbuck area as a branch of SSH 11B. The two secondary highways became SR 261 during the 1964 highway renumbering, and a gap between Washtucna and Starbuck was not paved until the construction of the Snake River Bridge was completed in 1968.