A ring road around Pullman was first proposed by the Washington State Highway Commission in 1966 and surveyed in 1970. Right-of-way acquisition by WSDOT began in 1972 and the corridor was designated and codified into law as SR 276 the following year. of the ring road was completed west of the city as part of US 195 in 1974 while a public survey in 1975 recommended a southern bypass for SR 270 instead of SR 276. The bypass project was canceled by 1978 and the WSDOT right-of-way was leased to farmers for agricultural purposes. The project was restarted with a transportation study from the Spokane Regional Council in 1993 and funded by the Pullman municipal government as part of their comprehensive plan. A route development plan, funded by WSDOT, recommended the construction of a divided limited-access highway with a single at-grade intersection at Brayton Road.