Secondary State Highway 7C

SSH 7C was added to the state highway system in 1951. This route began at Jct PSH 7 (then US 10, now I-90) at the east end of the Vantage Bridge and headed east via Royal City and Othello to Jct PSH 11 (US 395). This route was built in stages and was not actually opened to traffic from end to end for a few years. In 1961, SSH 7C was extended east to Jct SSH 11B (now SR 260) at Washtucna, with the provision that existing county roads would not be maintained as a temporary route of SSH 7C until the permanent route was opened to traffic. This provision was removed in 1965. Today, SSH 7C is part of SR 26.

A branch of SSH 7C was added to the state highway system in 1957. This route began at a junction with the SSH 7C trunk about a mile or so south of the Vantage Bridge and headed south via Beverly, gradually curving to the east and ending at Jct SSH 11A (now SR 24) across the Columbia River from Vernita. At first SSH 11A crossed the Columbia at Vernita via a ferry. In 1965, a bridge opened to traffic a few miles east of the ferry. SSH 7C, by now posted as SR 243, was extended east to Jct SSH 11A, by now posted as SR 24, at the north end of the bridge. The SSH 7C branch is now SR 243.