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Committee hears memorial to name I‑82 overpass for Trooper Charles Frank Noble Jr.
Summary
Substitute Senate Joint Memorial 8003 asks the Washington State Transportation Commission to designate the overpass over I‑82 at the Yakima Valley Highway junction as the Trooper Charles Frank Noble Jr. Memorial Overpass; the Washington State Patrol and sponsor described Noble’s service and death in the line of duty.
Substitute Senate Joint Memorial 8003 would request that the Washington State Transportation Commission designate the overpass over Interstate 82 at the Yakima Valley Highway junction as the Washington State Patrol Trooper Charles Frank Noble Jr. Memorial Overpass.
Committee staff Chris Thomas summarized the naming process, and Senator Nikki Torres presented the memorial, noting the significance for the family and the State Patrol. Chief John Batiste of the Washington State Patrol testified in support and provided biographical background: Trooper Charles Frank Noble Jr. joined the Washington State Patrol in 1957, was commissioned as a trooper in 1958, and was fatally shot during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 12 near Zillah on Feb. 5, 1972. Chief Batiste said Noble was 42 at his death, had served 14 years, and was the eighteenth trooper in the agency’s history to be killed in the line of duty; the chief called the naming a fitting honor for Noble and his family.
Thomas read procedural guidance: the regional WSDOT administrator provides a description of the bridge to the state bridge and structures preservation engineer, and the commission holds a public hearing before final action; WSDOT installs appropriate signage after a commission decision.
Why it matters: memorial naming recognizes an officer killed in the line of duty and provides a formal, location‑based recognition for the family and agency; local procedural steps remain to be completed at the Transportation Commission.
No formal committee vote was taken during the hearing.
