Washington State Route 502
State highway in Clark County, Washington, US
State Route 502 (SR 502, officially known as the Battle Ground Highway) is a 6.12-mile-long (9.85 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, serving the city of Battle Ground in Clark County. The highway travels due east from an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) north of Mount Vista through Dollars Corner and Battle Ground to an intersection with SR 503, serving as connector between Battle Ground and I-5. Prior to the 1964 highway renumbering, SR 502 was part of Secondary State Highway 1S (SSH 1S), which was established in 1937. The highway traveled south from its current western terminus until the construction of a new interchange with I-5 in 2008, part of a project to widen SR 502 and install a median barrier on the roadway.
Route description
SR 502 begins as the four-lane Battle Ground Highway at exit 11 on I-5, a trumpet interchange located north of Mount Vista, and travels due east as 219th Street, crossing Gee Creek and passing the northbound Gee Creek rest area. The four-lane highway travels east through rural Clark County and the community of Dollars Corner before it enters the city of Battle Ground, where it becomes Main Street. SR 502 crosses over Mill Creek and travels through the city, ending at an intersection with SR 503 and Main Street.
Every year, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2011, WSDOT calculated that between 8,200 and 26,000 vehicles per day used the highway, mostly within Battle Ground.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Washington State Route 502” as state highway in Clark County, Washington, US. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as state highway in Clark County, Washington, US. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q836419. VIAF identifies the subject as 315531322. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1964, 1937, 2008 and 2011.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Washington State Route 502”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Washington State Route 502 primary sources, Washington State Route 502 archive and Washington research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Washington State Route 502”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Washington State Route 502” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.