A round of funding was announced on 11/17/14 for various highway projects across Wyoming ...
http://www.forconstructionpros.com/news/12019635/wyoming-transportation-commission-awards-nearly-35-million-in-highway-contracts
- $10.8 million for installing coupled shear piles to stabilize the Hoback North landslide along US 26-89-189-191 about 10 miles south of Jackson. Contract completion by June 30, 2016.
- $10.4 million for a contract to resurface and widen 8 miles of WYO 51 east of Gillette. Work includes widening shoulders to 6 feet. adding a new layer of pavement, installing turn lanes at the highway's intersection with Potter Lane and the entrance to the Black Hills Corp. power plant, upgrading traffic signals at the intersection with Garner Lake Road, and constructing a one-mile bike and pedestrian path. Contract completion by Oct. 31, 2015.
- $6.6 million contract for concrete repairs on 5.9 miles of the eastbound lanes of I-80 east of Walcott Junction. Contract completion by Oct. 31, 2015.
- $3.86 million contract to grind off deteriorating pavement and replace it with a new layer of pavement on 10 miles of US 85 immediately east of I-25 north of Cheyenne. Contract completion by Oct. 31, 2015.
- $2.7 million for pavement rehabilitation on 6.5 miles of WYO 296 (Chief Joseph Highway). The work will include some shoulder flattening, a pavement overlay and a chip seal to the top of Dead Indian Pass about 37 miles northwest of Cody. Work completion by Sept. 30, 2015.
- $518,000 contract for extending sidewalks, curb and gutter on WYO 30-789 in Basin and upgrading sidewalks on WYO 433 to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contract completion by Oct. 31, 2015.
A round of funding was announced on 12/17/14 by WyoDOT: http://www.dot.state.wy.us/news/transportation-commission-awards-338-million-in-highway-contracts
A 7-mile section of Interstate 90 between the Powder River and the Johnson-Campbell County line will get a new layer of pavement under a $13.2 million contract won by Simon Contractors and Subsidiaries of Cheyenne. The project also will include rehabilitation work on six bridges on the highway section. The contract completion date is June 30, 2017.
High Country Construction of Lander submitted the low bid of $10.3 million for improvements to 4.4 miles of the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 about 5 miles west of Douglas. The work will include milling off deteriorating pavement, replacing it with a new layer of pavement, widening the safety shoulders by 2 feet on each side of the highway and replacing the bridge over La Prele Creek. Northbound traffic will be diverted into one of the southbound lanes in April, and the project is expected to be done by Oct. 31.
Worland's McGarvin-Moberly Construction was the low bidder at $3.7 million for a new 2-inch layer of asphalt on 14 miles of WYO 130 between Centennial and Ryan Park. Parking areas along the highway also will be repaved, and the work is scheduled for completion by Aug. 31.
A 12-mile section of WYO 130 north of Saratoga also will get deteriorating pavement milled off and replaced with a new layer of pavement under a $3.7 million contract won by Mountain Construction Co. of Lovell. The contract completion date is Oct 31.
Both of the WYO 130 projects are among the 14 projects WYDOT plans to begin this year with the additional revenue the department expects to receive from the fuel tax increase that took effect in 2013.
Simon Contractors and Subsidiaries of Cheyenne submitted the low bid of $1.5 million to complete a full-depth reclamation and chip seal on WYO 313 from Chugwater 19 miles east into Goshen County. The full-depth reclamation on 2.5 miles of the section will entail grinding up the existing cracked pavement and using that as a base for a new 3-inch layer of asphalt. The chip seal will cover the entire 19-mile section. Work is not expected to begin until summer and the contract completion date is Oct. 31.
Wilson Brothers Construction of Cowley won a $985,000 contract for landslide repairs along I-90 south of Sheridan. The Marshall Hill slide about 2 miles south of Sheridan will be stabilized by drilling 80 holes 25 feet deep into the unstable soil, filling the holes with crushed rock and compacting the rock. The Meade Creek slide about 3.4 miles further south will get 320 of the stabilizing aggregate columns. Some of the unstable soil on the slopes below the highway also will be replaced with lightweight scoria rock. The contract calls for the slide work to be done by the end of March and all work to be completed by May 31.
JM Concrete of Idaho Falls was the low bidder at $158,000 for a contract to repair timber components under the Fish Creek Bridge on WYO 22 just east of Wilson. The work will include using jacks to lift the bridge deck slightly while it is still carrying traffic, and replacing two rotting timber pile caps under the deck. The work must be done during the winter months when the water level in Fish Creek is low, and the contract completion date is April 30.
Gillette's S&S Builders won a $146,000 contract to repair a concrete girder on a county road bridge over I-90 about 7 miles east of Sundance. The girder was damaged when it was struck by a truck hauling logging equipment. The repairs will include replacing reinforcing steel inside the girder and then patching the concrete. The work is scheduled to be done by Feb. 28.
Contract West Roofing of Salt Lake City was awarded a $34,000 contract to replace the roof on the Star Valley Rest Area on US 89 about 10 miles north of Afton. The contract completion date is March 15.
https://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/news_info/10-cent-fuel-tax-projects.html
WYDOT has committed to using all revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase for work to maintain the state's highway system in its current condition. The following list indicates planned projects utilizing these funds, as found on the WyoDOT webpage:
QuoteFY 2015:
1. US 26 - Pavement milling and overlay; 2.4 miles contract awarded
2. WYO 432 - Pavement overlay; 10.1 miles, contract awarded
3. WYO 376 in Rock Springs - Bridge work
4. Various routes - Chip sealing; 15.2 miles, contract awarded
5. US 20-26-87 in Douglas - Pavement overlay; 1.3 miles
6. US 85 - Pavement milling, overlay and chip sealing; 10.1 miles, contract awarded
7. WYO 296 - Pavement overlay; 6.6 miles, contract awarded
8. US 30-287 - Pavement overlay with widening; 6.6 miles, contract awarded
9. US 14-16-20 Pavement overlay; 4.4 miles
10. US 287 - Pavement overlay; 4.7 miles, contract awarded
11. WYO 28 - Pavement overlay; 3.9 miles contract awarded
12. WYO 130-230 - Pavement overlay; 12 miles, contract awarded
13. WYO 414 - Pavement overlay; 2.7 miles
14. WYO 130 - Pavement overlay; 14 miles, contract awarded
FY 2016:
1. US 20-26-87 in Casper - Bridge work
2. WYO 220 in Casper - Pavement milling and overlay; 2.4 miles
3. WYO 387 - Pavement overlay; 9.8 miles
4. US 26 - Pavement overlay; 5.1 miles
5. WYO 310 - Pavement overlay; 4.4 miles
6. US 16 - "Microsurfacing" overlay; 7.5 miles
7. US 85 - Pavement overlay; 8 miles
8. WYO 230 - Pavement overlay; 10.2 miles
9. WYO 296 - Pavement overlay; 13 miles
10. US 14-16-20 in Cody - Pavement overlay; 1.1 miles
11. WYO 270 - Pavement overlay; 10.9 miles
12. US 85 - Chip sealing; 36.1 miles
13. US 20-26 - Pavement overlay; 6.2 miles
14. WYO 24 - Pavement overlay; 9.6 miles
15. WYO 170 - Pavement overlay; 5.7 miles
16. WYO 585 - "Microsurfacing overlay; 10.7 miles
17. WYO 193 - Pavement overlay with widening; 6 miles
FY 2017:
1. WYO 130 - Pavement overlay; 10 miles
2. WYO 10 - Pavement overlay; 9 miles
3. US 20-26-287 in Casper - Pavement overlay; 4.2 miles
4. Various routes - Chip sealing
5. WYO 238 - Pavement overlay; 8.7 miles
6. WYO 335 - Pavement overlay; 6 miles
7. WYO 136 - Pavement overlay; 12.2 miles
8. US 191 - Pavement overlay; 7.2 miles
9. WYO 230 - Pavement overlay; 9 miles
10. US 16 - Pavement overlay; 8.5 miles
11. US 20 - Pavement overlay; 7.6 miles
12. WYO 120 - Pavement overlay; 11 miles
13. US 287 - Pavement overlay; 6.1 miles
14. WYO 120 - Pavement overlay; 6.2 miles
15. US 14 - Pavement overlay; 0.6 mile
16. WYO 220 in Casper - Pavement overlay; 0.3 miles
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/local/jackson-teton-county-may-adopt-transportation-plan/article_bf468db7-a511-5ccc-8128-bacf87ad7d58.html
QuoteTown and county leaders may adopt a transportation plan today that will outline the future of Jackson Hole's roads, pathways and public transit.
The plan has met strong resistance from South Park residents who oppose a new road the plan recommends to link South Park Loop and Highway 22. The plan also calls for doubling of the county's annual subsidy for public transit by 2024.
QuoteAn expanded Highway 22 and a new thoroughfare known as the Tribal Trails connector road are two of the least popular recommendations in the plan. Opponents of the Tribal Trails connector road have gathered nearly 300 signatures from residents who do not want to see it built. Proponents say the road is needed as a backup in the county road network in the event the "Y" intersection of Highways 89 and 22 – the choke point in county transportation – should close. Advocates also say that the road's construction might induce the Wyoming Department of Transportation to rebuild the "Y" intersection smaller than sometimes envisioned. A recent WYDOT study showed that the intersection is at its capacity and needs to be enlarged.
Earlier I gave a list of projects funded by the 10 cent fuel tax. An update provided by WyoDOT suggests that several projects have been completed or are in progress as noted below.
http://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/news_info/10-cent-fuel-tax-projects.html
Quote
Completed projects
1. WYO 28 - Pavement overlay; 9.7 miles
2. WYO 28 - Pavement overlay; 10.3 miles
3. US 191- Pavement overlay; 7.8 miles
4. US 18 - Pavement overlay; 10.2 miles
5. WYO 196 - Pavement overlay; 5.5 miles
6. US 16 in Worland - Pavement rehabilitation; 0.1 mile
7. US 20 - Pavement rehabilitation; 0.3 mile
8. WYO 30 - Pavement overlay; 5.7 miles
9. US 16-20 - Pavement overlay; 8 miles
10. US 14 - Pavement overlay; 7.3 miles
12. US 89 - Pavement overlay; 3 miles
13. US 189 - Pavement overlay; 10.2 miles
14. US 189 - Pavement overlay; 10.5 miles
15. WYO 116 - Pavement overlay with widening; 5.1 miles
16. WYO 28 - Chip sealing; 15.3 miles
18. US 26-287 - Reconstruction; 2.3 miles
Projects underway
11. Various routes - Bridge work
17. US 14A in Lovell - Pavement rehabilitation
19. WYO 433 - Pavement overlay with widening; 3.5 miles
The FY 15-17 project lists are the same as above.
Another article on some of the Wyoming highway upgrades at http://wyomingbusinessreport.com/highways-to-get-14-6m-in-upgrades/. Of interest is the described improvement for the runaway truck ramp on Wyoming 22 on Teton Pass. I'd not heard of this technology before and will have to look for it on US 16 in the Bighorn Mountains above Buffalo on my next visit to the area.
QuoteC.M. Owen Construction of Jackson won a $3.6 million contract to build a runaway truck arrestor system on WYO 22 about 2 miles west of Wilson. The highway's downgrade on the east side of Teton Pass is 9.5 percent, one of the steepest on any Wyoming highway. The CatchNET system to be installed will be similar to one already in operation on US 16 west of Buffalo, which uses a series of arrestor cables to safely stop trucks carrying loads of up to 90,000 pounds and traveling up to 90 mph. That system has been used successfully six times. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2016.
Interesting... I've never heard of that system either. On first glance, it sounds kind of like how a cable barrier system works.
I found a link through the article to a WyDOT webpage that has a PowerPoint with a bit more info. Turns out it is more like the jet catch cable system on an aircraft carrier. It actually makes some sense–as opposed to a common traditional stop method of deep gravel or piles of sand, which have to be regraded after every use.
Another interesting tidbit is that there are not too many of these deployed yet. But apparently 2 are in design in Nevada... (Not sure where those might be)
Quote from: roadfro on August 24, 2015, 12:27:35 AM
I found a link through the article to a WyDOT webpage that has a PowerPoint with a bit more info. Turns out it is more like the jet catch cable system on an aircraft carrier. It actually makes some sense–as opposed to a common traditional stop method of deep gravel or piles of sand, which have to be regraded after every use.
Great find. I didn't check that link out until after you posted. I am wondering now if Wyoming had innovated this practice, or if it was conceived in another state and borrowed by Wyoming. Either way, it is something totally new to me (most truck ramps I've seen have deep gravel/sand or are long enough to allow a typical speeding truck to slow down, most likely by going uphill). I wonder if these new arrangements are easy to maintain to keep them effective for prolonged periods of nonuse?
Here's a truck ramp test in North Bay, Ontario with the 'CatchNET' system:
Quote from: andy3175 on August 24, 2015, 01:09:34 AM
Quote from: roadfro on August 24, 2015, 12:27:35 AM
I found a link through the article to a WyDOT webpage that has a PowerPoint with a bit more info. Turns out it is more like the jet catch cable system on an aircraft carrier. It actually makes some sense–as opposed to a common traditional stop method of deep gravel or piles of sand, which have to be regraded after every use.
Great find. I didn't check that link out until after you posted. I am wondering now if Wyoming had innovated this practice, or if it was conceived in another state and borrowed by Wyoming. Either way, it is something totally new to me (most truck ramps I've seen have deep gravel/sand or are long enough to allow a typical speeding truck to slow down, most likely by going uphill). I wonder if these new arrangements are easy to maintain to keep them effective for prolonged periods of nonuse?
I gotta imagine for a high use escape ramp, installing one of these systems might be more costly initially, but more cost effective in the long run. It seems like this would be much easier/quicker to "reset" than to have to regrade the gravel on the ramp.
Found this link that provides environmental studies and related information on the following recent/planned Wyoming highway projects:
http://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/engineering_technical_programs/environmental_services/Nepa.html
BL 25 and Bus 20-26-87 - improvements to Richards Street and 4th Street in Douglas. Much of Richards St was under construction in summer 2014 and 2015, and that roadwork is likely related to this environmental study.
BL 90 US 14-87 North Sheridan Interchange - reconstruct and relocate the North Sheridan Interchange, including appropriate improvements to I-90 and BL 90 and US 14-87 North Main Street. I did not see any construction evident in summer 2015.
US 14 south (west) of Burgess Junction - improve (widen, overlay pavement, and reconstruct portions of) 11-mile segment of US 14
US 14 Rupe Hill Landslide - realign US 14 due to landslide concerns near Rupe Hill between WYO 24 and Sundance
US 14 Alt - improvements to US 14A, between Cody and Powell (much of this route is currently three to five lanes and surprisingly busy)
US 26-85 Torrington Urban Project - Improve US 85, US 26 and US 26-85 in Torrington by reconstructing and widening US 26-85 and US 26; developing a continuous sidewalk system along US 26 and US 26-85, improving the existing storm drainage system on US 26 and US 26-85, and realigning US 85 with a grade separated crossing of the BNSF Railway tracks (the old alignment became Business US 85). Another thread indicated that the viaduct over the railroad tracks is already complete.
US 26-89-189-191 Hoback Junction - Improve 0.6-mile section of U.S. Highway 26/89, between milepost (MP) 141.4 and 140.7, including the U.S. 26/89, U.S. 189/191, and U.S. 26/89/189/191 intersection and the Snake River Bridge immediately southwest of the Hoback Junction community.
US 26-89-189-191 Jackson South - the expansion of this segment of highway would vary from south to north as described in the Record of Decision:
QuoteThe Selected Alternative combines features of the 3-Lane, 4-Lane, and 5-Lane alternatives that were developed and screened during the EIS process (see Section B). The Selected Alternative includes a three-lane rural cross-section portion that would tie into the three-lane urban section at MP 141.4 immediately north of Hoback Junction. Vehicles traveling north from Hoback Junction in this three-lane rural section would have a general purpose travel lane and a passing lane to improve traffic flow in this uphill section. The three-lane section would extend roughly 0.6 mile to MP 142.0, where it would transition to a four-lane undivided cross-section. This section then would extend 0.5 mile to MP 142.5 and include two northbound travel lanes, one southbound travel lane, and a center turn lane. Next, it would transition to a five-lane rural cross-section. The five-lane rural section would be the longest segment of the Selected Alternative and would continue for 6.1 miles to MP 148.6.
US 89 Etna North - expand roadway from Etna north to Alpine into five lanes (two lanes each direction with center turning lane)
US 287 (Laramie South) - convert 21 miles of highway from two to four lanes in Albany County from Laramie to the Colorado state line (substantial sections of this project are complete including between the state line and Tie Siding)
WYO 59 (Wright to Gillette) - improve 28 miles just south of the Town of Wright and WYO 450 to just north of Bishop Road, about 10 miles south of the City of Gillette, in Campbell County with additional lanes and safety features. Funding is needed to complete many of these improvements.
WYO 59 North Realignment - Alpha Coal West, Inc. submitted a proposal to relocate approximately 4.35 miles of WYO 59 (north of Gillette) to allow mining operations in the vicinity of Eagle Butte Mine to continue. Alpha is financially responsible for the cost associated with evaluating, designing, and constructing the relocated road. WYDOT is responsible for approving the location of the relocated road segment and overseeing design and construction. No federal or state of Wyoming (State) funds will be used to relocate the highway.
WYO 130-230 Harney Street Viaduct - relocate WYO 130-230 from Clark St Viaduct over Union Pacific Railroad in Laramie to a new Harney St Viaduct; demolish Clark St Viaduct
WYO 220 (Muddy Gap to Casper) - reconstruct 12 miles of state highway including Casper South and Narrows sections in Natrona County
WYO 257 (Casper West Belt) - construct new, 7.5-mile highway (WYO 257) between WYO 220 (three miles southwest of Robertson Road) and US 20/26 west of the City of Casper (at the intersection of US 20/26 Shoshoni Bypass and Business 20/26)
Lewis Street Bridge and Related Improvements - replace Lewis Street Bridge over the Little Goose Creek in Sheridan; improve Lewis Street pavement; close the south end of the Marion Street connection to Lewis Street; close the Alger Street connection to Lewis Street; create a parking lot from cut off section of Marion Street; construct bike path connecting to the existing bike path system. This project was under construction when I visited in 2014. As far as I know, this urban street is not a state highway.
QuoteWYO 130-230 Harney Street Viaduct - relocate WYO 130-230 from Clark St Viaduct over Union Pacific Railroad in Laramie to a new Harney St Viaduct; demolish Clark St Viaduct
I'm convinced this will never actually happen
Quote from: corco on August 31, 2015, 12:42:00 AM
QuoteWYO 130-230 Harney Street Viaduct - relocate WYO 130-230 from Clark St Viaduct over Union Pacific Railroad in Laramie to a new Harney St Viaduct; demolish Clark St Viaduct
I'm convinced this will never actually happen
I'm still trying to figure out where the $$$ is coming from. I haven't located that yet, either. No start date for construction AFAIK.
Quote from: andy3175 on August 31, 2015, 12:25:39 AM
Found this link that provides environmental studies and related information on the following recent/planned Wyoming highway projects:
http://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/engineering_technical_programs/environmental_services/Nepa.html
BL 25 and Bus 20-26-87 - improvements to Richards Street and 4th Street in Douglas. Much of Richards St was under construction in summer 2014 and 2015, and that roadwork is likely related to this environmental study.
BL 90 US 14-87 North Sheridan Interchange - reconstruct and relocate the North Sheridan Interchange, including appropriate improvements to I-90 and BL 90 and US 14-87 North Main Street. I did not see any construction evident in summer 2015.
US 14 south (west) of Burgess Junction - improve (widen, overlay pavement, and reconstruct portions of) 11-mile segment of US 14
US 14 Rupe Hill Landslide - realign US 14 due to landslide concerns near Rupe Hill between WYO 24 and Sundance
US 14 Alt - improvements to US 14A, between Cody and Powell (much of this route is currently three to five lanes and surprisingly busy)
US 26-85 Torrington Urban Project - Improve US 85, US 26 and US 26-85 in Torrington by reconstructing and widening US 26-85 and US 26; developing a continuous sidewalk system along US 26 and US 26-85, improving the existing storm drainage system on US 26 and US 26-85, and realigning US 85 with a grade separated crossing of the BNSF Railway tracks (the old alignment became Business US 85). Another thread indicated that the viaduct over the railroad tracks is already complete.
US 26-89-189-191 Hoback Junction - Improve 0.6-mile section of U.S. Highway 26/89, between milepost (MP) 141.4 and 140.7, including the U.S. 26/89, U.S. 189/191, and U.S. 26/89/189/191 intersection and the Snake River Bridge immediately southwest of the Hoback Junction community.
US 26-89-189-191 Jackson South - the expansion of this segment of highway would vary from south to north as described in the Record of Decision:
QuoteThe Selected Alternative combines features of the 3-Lane, 4-Lane, and 5-Lane alternatives that were developed and screened during the EIS process (see Section B). The Selected Alternative includes a three-lane rural cross-section portion that would tie into the three-lane urban section at MP 141.4 immediately north of Hoback Junction. Vehicles traveling north from Hoback Junction in this three-lane rural section would have a general purpose travel lane and a passing lane to improve traffic flow in this uphill section. The three-lane section would extend roughly 0.6 mile to MP 142.0, where it would transition to a four-lane undivided cross-section. This section then would extend 0.5 mile to MP 142.5 and include two northbound travel lanes, one southbound travel lane, and a center turn lane. Next, it would transition to a five-lane rural cross-section. The five-lane rural section would be the longest segment of the Selected Alternative and would continue for 6.1 miles to MP 148.6.
US 89 Etna North - expand roadway from Etna north to Alpine into five lanes (two lanes each direction with center turning lane)
US 287 (Laramie South) - convert 21 miles of highway from two to four lanes in Albany County from Laramie to the Colorado state line (substantial sections of this project are complete including between the state line and Tie Siding)
WYO 59 (Wright to Gillette) - improve 28 miles just south of the Town of Wright and WYO 450 to just north of Bishop Road, about 10 miles south of the City of Gillette, in Campbell County with additional lanes and safety features. Funding is needed to complete many of these improvements.
WYO 59 North Realignment - Alpha Coal West, Inc. submitted a proposal to relocate approximately 4.35 miles of WYO 59 (north of Gillette) to allow mining operations in the vicinity of Eagle Butte Mine to continue. Alpha is financially responsible for the cost associated with evaluating, designing, and constructing the relocated road. WYDOT is responsible for approving the location of the relocated road segment and overseeing design and construction. No federal or state of Wyoming (State) funds will be used to relocate the highway.
WYO 130-230 Harney Street Viaduct - relocate WYO 130-230 from Clark St Viaduct over Union Pacific Railroad in Laramie to a new Harney St Viaduct; demolish Clark St Viaduct
WYO 220 (Muddy Gap to Casper) - reconstruct 12 miles of state highway including Casper South and Narrows sections in Natrona County
WYO 257 (Casper West Belt) - construct new, 7.5-mile highway (WYO 257) between WYO 220 (three miles southwest of Robertson Road) and US 20/26 west of the City of Casper (at the intersection of US 20/26 Shoshoni Bypass and Business 20/26)
Lewis Street Bridge and Related Improvements - replace Lewis Street Bridge over the Little Goose Creek in Sheridan; improve Lewis Street pavement; close the south end of the Marion Street connection to Lewis Street; close the Alger Street connection to Lewis Street; create a parking lot from cut off section of Marion Street; construct bike path connecting to the existing bike path system. This project was under construction when I visited in 2014. As far as I know, this urban street is not a state highway.
Well, one thing that's become apparent is that the WYO 59 relocation project is highly unlikely to happen, now that Alpha Coal West's parent company filed for Chapter 11 BK earlier this month. Unless they want to take their chances and see whether or not WYDOT wants to fund it by themselves.
http://wyomingbusinessreport.com/wydot-awards-31-9m-in-road-updates/
QuoteContracts totaling $31.9 million for nine highway projects around the state were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its October meeting in Cheyenne.
Lewis & Lewis Inc. of Rock Springs won the largest of the contracts with the low bid of $8.7 million for milling off deteriorating pavement and replacing it with a new layer of pavement on a 12-mile section of Interstate 80 about 12 miles west of Green River. The project also will include bridge deck rehabilitation work, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2016.
Casper's Oftedal Construction was the low bidder at $8.1 million for improvements to 3.3 miles of the southbound lanes of Interstate 25 between El Rancho Road and North Cottonwood Creek north of Wheatland. The project will include reconstruction in some areas, widening and new pavement in others, rehabilitation work on four bridges and drainage improvements. The work is expected to be completed by June 30, 2017.
McGarvin-Moberly Construction of Worland won a $6.3 million contract for work on 6 miles of the westbound lanes of I-80 at Walcott Junction. Previous pavement overlays will be removed, and the original concrete pavement will be cracked and seated to provide a base for 5 inches of new asphalt pavement. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2016.
Cheyenne's Knife River was awarded a $5.3 million contract to mill off deteriorating pavement and replace it with a new layer of pavement on 10 miles of the eastbound lanes of I-80 about 10 miles west of Laramie. Three bridges on the highway section will get deck rehabilitation work as part of the project scheduled for completion by Oct. 31, 2016.
Five contracts were awarded for crack sealing to preserve the pavement on highway sections around the state. Highway Improvement Inc. of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, won the largest of the contracts with the low bid of $1.5 million for crack sealing on highways in Big Horn, Fremont, Hot Springs, Park and Washakie counties by May 31, 2016.
Highway Improvement also won crack sealing contracts of $570,000 for highways in Converse, Laramie and Platte counties by March 31, $509,000 for highways in Big Horn, Fremont and Park counties by May 31, and $466,000 for WYO 530 south of Green River by April 30.
Hardrives Construction of Billings, Montana, was the low bidder at $487,000 for crack sealing on highways in Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Niobrara, Sheridan and Weston counties by May 31, 2016.
State funds another $26.4M in road projects (12/21/2015)
http://wyomingbusinessreport.com/state-funds-another-26-4m-in-road-projects/
QuoteSimon Contractors and Subsidiaries of Cheyenne was the low bidder at nearly $6.9 million for improvements to 7.6 miles of Interstate 25 north of the Iron Mountain Interchange north of Cheyenne. The work will include milling off deteriorating pavement and replacing it with a new layer of pavement, replacement of some concrete slabs and rehabilitation work on nine bridges. The contract completion date is Oct. 31.
Hedquist Construction of Mills submitted the low bid of $6.2 million for improvements to two bridges on the US 20-26 west spur in Casper. The bridge over Casper Creek and the BNSF railroad tracks will get new pavement and be widened to match the width of the highway. The bridge over the Old Yellowstone Highway will get a new deck, approach slabs and guardrail. The work is expected to be done by June 30, 2017.
Lander's High Country Construction won a nearly $5 million contract for a pavement overlay, bridge rehabilitation and safety improvements on four miles of US 26 west of Riverton. The work will include rehabilitation of the bridges over Winchester Draw and the Big Wind River, flattening of shoulder slopes and a final chip seal. The project will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase, and the contract completion date is June 30, 2017.
Cheyenne's Knife River won the contract for another of the projects to be funded through the fuel tax increase with the low bid of $3.5 million to add passing lanes at five locations on US 20-26 between Casper and Waltman. Three of the passing lanes will be for eastbound traffic, and two for westbound. The work is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 31.
The third 10-cent-fuel-tax project went to Simon Contractors and Subsidiaries, with the low bid of $3.2 million to mill off deteriorating pavement and replace it with a new layer of pavement on eight miles of US 85 about 12 miles northeast of Cheyenne. The work also will include drainage improvements to prevent water from covering the highway during rainstorms, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31.
The three projects are among 14 WYDOT plans to begin in 2016 with the additional revenue the department expects to receive from the fuel tax increase that took effect in 2013. Twenty-five projects have already been completed with the additional fuel tax revenue.
Lewis and Lewis of Rock Springs won a $1.65 million contract for patching to extend the life of the pavement on sections of I-80 and WYO 372 in Sweetwater County, US 89 in Lincoln County, and US 191 in Teton County by Oct. 31.
Work underway on Union Pacific Railroad and Bitter Creek bridges from April to October 2016 along WYO 376 in Rock Springs:
http://sweetwaternow.com/bridge-work-begins-south-belt-loop/
QuoteThe Wyoming Department of Transportation will be conducting some bridge rehabilitation work on three bridges over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and the Bitter Creek on the WYO 376 Belt Loop. Work on all three bridges will take place over the course of the spring and summer months and will include lane closures, reduced lane size and even a temporary bridge closure.
The first bridge slated for work is located over the UPRR tracks next to Rock Springs High School on the WYO 376 Belt Loop.
WYDOT and contract crews will begin setting up traffic control in April for the duration of the work. This work may affect traffic to and from Rock Springs High School. However, the high school bridge will not be closed throughout the duration of the work. ...
Work on the two bridges that connect Dewar Drive and Blair Avenue near Chopstix and AutoZone will follow, tentatively in June. The bridge over the UPRR tracks will receive a complete deck replacement while extensive rehabilitation work will take place on the second bridge.
Due to the nature of the work on these two bridges, both bridges will be completely closed to traffic during the course of work. WYDOT has set a 60 calendar day window for the closure. WYDOT does not anticipate the closure overlapping into the school year, but there is always the possibility of the work exceeding the 60-day window.
As that time approaches, WYDOT will notify the city of any schedule changes and extensions. Residents of the West Center Street area and patrons of the Animal Control Center and the Rock Springs Dog Park will still retain access for the duration of the closure.
Earlier, we'd discussed the distance for a gas station on Interstate 25 from Cheyenne north through Chugwater to Wheatland (see https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=11581.msg281414#msg281414, where the primary topic was the lack of services on I-70 in Utah). Chugwater used to have a gas station until 2012, when an accident destroyed it and left Chugwater (and a long stretch of I-25 between Cheyenne and Wheatland) without a gas station. Efforts are underway to reconstruct the gas station at Chugwater using Community Development Block Grants. WYDOT has concerns about the access point for the gas station off of Business Loop 25 in Chugwater, so much of the town council discussion surrounded the added cost of making changes to the entrance to the gas station.
http://www.pcrecordtimes.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=4260
QuoteOn Monday (March 14, 2016), the Chugwater Town Council held a special meeting to discuss a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which would allow for the development of an abandoned business property within city limits.
The property was the site of Horton's Corner, a gas station that was destroyed in an accident in 2012. Since then, the community has seen a decrease in the local economy.
The CDBG grant would provide the Town of Chugwater with $407,000 to purchase the property. A private business owner would then lease the property from the Town for five years, during which time, the owner would be responsible for the construction of a new fuel station.
After five years, the property ownership would be transferred to the business owner. ...
Mark Williams from WYDOT attended the meeting to address questions regarding an access permit to the property. According to Williams, the current access point to the station might not meet WYDOT requirements, and it could require major construction to move the access point across from the rest stop in Chugwater.
Moving the access point could add a significant expense to the overall project, however, and Councilmembers expressed concern that this could drive away potential bidders.
"From our standpoint, we are just trying to get someone to take this business and get it more or less back the way it was," Councilman Kenneth Clark said. "That is the whole problem. As it is now, no one can afford the property — that is why we have been without a gas station for two or three years." ...
Clark suggested that leaving the access point where it currently sits would help keep costs for the developers down, and encourage the project.
Williams emphasized that, while WYDOT felt that the current access point would not work for a future development, it would be open to alternative suggestions. ...
After going into executive session, the Council unanimously gave a preliminary approval and acceptance of the grant, subject to further investigation.
Upon accepting the grant, the Town will proceed to make an offer on the property, and complete the purchase of the land. After purchase of the property is complete, the project will be open to bid for two weeks, and a final bid will be accepted during a special meeting, with dates to be announced.
More Wyoming highway improvements, approved in February 2016:
http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/wyo-funds-12-4m-in-road-construction/?refresh=1
- WYO 330 - West Fifth Street - Sheridan - roadway reconstruction from Mydland Road west to the end of the paved section
- US 20 Bridges over Casper Creek and C&NW railroad tracks - bridge rehab
- F Street Bridge over the Platte River in Casper will get a new expansion joint
- I-80 Uinta County - bridge rehab
- US 310 - 4.5-mile repaving around the Little Dry Creek Bridge about 7 miles northwest of Greybull
- US 20-26 from Casper to Shoshoni, US 26/WYO 789 between Shoshoni and Riverton, and WYO 789 between Riverton and Lander - 30-mile chip seal
- Business 80 and US 30 - Grand Avenue from 30th St to I-80 - Laramie; Business 80 and US 30 Lincolnway from College Drive to Pershing Blvd, WYO 211 Horse Creek Rd, and WYO 215 south of Albin - pavement repairs
- I-80 between Cheyenne and Pine Bluffs - concrete slab replacement
- Business 80 and US 30-287 - concrete slab replacement at the intersection of Third Street and Curtis Street in Laramie
- US 30 - bridge rehab about 5 miles south of Kemmerer
- US 26-89 - deck sealant bridge over the Snake River south of Hoback Junction
- US 14 - add new lane for eastbound traffic turning left onto Ranchester Five Mile Road to access the new elementary school
Quote from: andy3175 on April 18, 2016, 01:36:46 AM
Earlier, we'd discussed the distance for a gas station on Interstate 25 from Cheyenne north through Chugwater to Wheatland (see https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=11581.msg281414#msg281414, where the primary topic was the lack of services on I-70 in Utah). Chugwater used to have a gas station until 2012, when an accident destroyed it and left Chugwater (and a long stretch of I-25 between Cheyenne and Wheatland) without a gas station. Efforts are underway to reconstruct the gas station at Chugwater using Community Development Block Grants. WYDOT has concerns about the access point for the gas station off of Business Loop 25 in Chugwater, so much of the town council discussion surrounded the added cost of making changes to the entrance to the gas station.
http://www.pcrecordtimes.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=4260
QuoteOn Monday (March 14, 2016), the Chugwater Town Council held a special meeting to discuss a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which would allow for the development of an abandoned business property within city limits.
The property was the site of Horton’s Corner, a gas station that was destroyed in an accident in 2012. Since then, the community has seen a decrease in the local economy.
The CDBG grant would provide the Town of Chugwater with $407,000 to purchase the property. A private business owner would then lease the property from the Town for five years, during which time, the owner would be responsible for the construction of a new fuel station.
After five years, the property ownership would be transferred to the business owner. ...
Mark Williams from WYDOT attended the meeting to address questions regarding an access permit to the property. According to Williams, the current access point to the station might not meet WYDOT requirements, and it could require major construction to move the access point across from the rest stop in Chugwater.
Moving the access point could add a significant expense to the overall project, however, and Councilmembers expressed concern that this could drive away potential bidders.
“From our standpoint, we are just trying to get someone to take this business and get it more or less back the way it was,” Councilman Kenneth Clark said. “That is the whole problem. As it is now, no one can afford the property – that is why we have been without a gas station for two or three years.” ...
Clark suggested that leaving the access point where it currently sits would help keep costs for the developers down, and encourage the project.
Williams emphasized that, while WYDOT felt that the current access point would not work for a future development, it would be open to alternative suggestions. ...
After going into executive session, the Council unanimously gave a preliminary approval and acceptance of the grant, subject to further investigation.
Upon accepting the grant, the Town will proceed to make an offer on the property, and complete the purchase of the land. After purchase of the property is complete, the project will be open to bid for two weeks, and a final bid will be accepted during a special meeting, with dates to be announced.
Let's see now: $407000 for what is, essentially, a vacant lot. In hopes that someone will lease the property to operate a gas station that isn't needed at the moment. IDK, maybe WYDOT, in its own bureaucratic way, is simply trying to save the Town of Chugwater from making an incredibly silly decision. Especially in a time where Wyoming's local governments cannot be that shortsighted with money, regardless of source.
Quote from: andy3175 on April 20, 2016, 12:36:31 AM
- F Street Bridge over the Platte River in Casper will get a new expansion joint
It so needs it, but please come after they've finished the I-25 and Poplar thing.
Quote from: corco on August 31, 2015, 12:42:00 AM
QuoteWYO 130-230 Harney Street Viaduct - relocate WYO 130-230 from Clark St Viaduct over Union Pacific Railroad in Laramie to a new Harney St Viaduct; demolish Clark St Viaduct
I'm convinced this will never actually happen
Latest on this project from the Laramie Boomerang (6/25/2016)...
http://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/local_news/harney-street-bridge-construction-to-start-in/article_b6d0e9f4-3a90-11e6-918a-173f44cde22d.html
QuoteConstruction on the long-awaited Harney Street Bridge – a $28.6 million project designed to connect traffic with Snowy Range Road and replace the aging Clark Street Viaduct– is expected to begin in early 2017 ...
"It'll take two years to build it, and then the last year will be the third year, is when we take down the Clark Street (bridge), which will be in 2019," (district engineer Tom) DeHoff said. "Hopefully we'll have everybody over to the new Snowy Range Road in 2018, so October of "˜18."
I am also surprised this is happening, yet I'm pleased to see the viaduct is getting replaced.
Quote from: andy3175 on April 20, 2015, 12:31:43 AM
https://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/news_info/10-cent-fuel-tax-projects.html
WYDOT has committed to using all revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase for work to maintain the state's highway system in its current condition. The following list indicates planned projects utilizing these funds, as found on the WyoDOT webpage:
Quote
FY 2016:
11. WYO 270 - Pavement overlay; 10.9 miles
I drove this one today. It looks like it is about 75% done. And it's nice. I know it's a relatively pedestrian sort of fix, but it was a nice drive.
Latest update on the WYO 130-230 Harney Street Viaduct is that the contractor is seeking a turbidity waiver.
QuoteWYDOT's contractor, S&S Builders, requested a waiver from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality on Dec. 7 for a temporary increase in turbidity in the Laramie River while they work on widening the Laramie River Bridge on Snowy Range Road as part of the Harney Street Bridge project and completing substructure work in the riverbed. During a 10-working-day period slated to start in January, the permit would allow the contractor an exceedance of the limit normally set for the Laramie River, Waterstreet said.
The bridge, which is located east of the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site on Snowy Range Road, will be widened to four lanes, said Steve Cook, WYDOT resident engineer in charge of the project. ...
For some projects, the contractors need to acquire a Section 404 of the Clean Waters Act permit from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which ensures the work will significantly degrade the waterway, the Environmental Protection Agency website says. The Harney Street Bridge project was issued a Section 404 permit before S & S Builders requested a turbidity waiver.
"It's not uncommon for certain projects to have additional protections such as cofferdams," he said. "But typically a bridge project, or at least in our experience with them – they haven't resulted in any types of impacts that we're concerned with."
Because the public is more sensitive to work in some waterways around the state, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality accepts public comments as part of the permit issuing process.
Changes to the Y intersection between US 26-89-189-191 and WYO 22 in Jackson:
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/town_county/review-will-consider-bikes-walkers-at-y/article_c0d115f2-c4e1-5011-b627-8f4a44c15e7e.html
QuoteWYDOT recently announced work on the "Y" was moving along on its schedule with a new configuration planned for next fall. Changes include adding a second left-turn lane from northbound Highway 89 onto 22 and eliminating straight and left-turn traffic for vehicles heading west on Buffalo Way toward the intersection.
The new design eliminates two "free right" turn lanes, one that runs alongside the Pony Express Motel and the other along Cutty's Bar and Grill. Free rights function as on-ramps, allowing drivers to merge into traffic instead of stopping at a light before making a turn.
Latest round of Wyoming highway improvements for summer 2017...
WyoDOT has its newsletter listing summer construction projects from across the state for summer 2017 at http://www.dot.state.wy.us/files/live/sites/wydot/files/shared/Public%20Affairs/RWG/April2017RWGWeb.pdf
Several projects are summarized below:
1. Business 90/U.S. 14-87/North Main Interchange
QuoteIn the northeastern part of the state, WYDOT will continue work on the $46.4 million North Sheridan Interchange project, which includes constructing a new interchange on Interstate 90, realignment and work on several streets in Sheridan. The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded the contract in June 2016. Crews completed phase one in 2016, which included grading and dirt work for the new interchange and Decker Road.
During phase two this year, crews will continue the interchange construction and construct new alignments on North Main Street, Yellowtail Drive, Industrial Road and Decker Road in Sheridan.
2. Interstate 90 bridge deck replacement between Buffalo and Gillette, affecting a six-mile segment.
3. Interstate 80 roadway reconstruction between Lyman and Granger Junction
4. Interstate 80 roadway overlay pavement between Rock Springs and Rawlins, which includes work on four bridges
5. Interstate 80 roadway pavement rehabilitation near Otto Road west of Cheyenne, which includes minor repairs to eight bridges
6. Interstate 80 overlay pavement and reconstruct three bridges near Pine Bluffs
7. Interstate 25 repair cracked pavement and widen shoulders approx. four miles west of Douglas
8. WYO 130-230 Snowy Range Road/Harney Viaduct - remove 53-year-old Clark Street viaduct, construct Harney Street viaduct, connect new viaduct with Snowy Range, and widen the Laramie River Bridge to four lanes. Completion date: July 31, 2019.
9. WYO 120 overlay 11 miles of roadway between Meeteetse and Cody
10. U.S. 14-16-20 rockfall mitigation work between Yellowstone National Park eastern boundary and Cody. This involves removing "loose rock and installing rock bolts, mesh and attenuators."
11. WYO 296 (Chief Joseph Highway) - replace old rockfall mesh with new mesh
12. WYO 94 - overlay 12 miles of highway near Douglas
13. U.S. 16 - smooth the pavement surface on nine miles of road between Ten Sleep and Buffalo
14. WYO 22 and U.S. 26-89-189-191-287 (The Y Intersection) in Jackson - remove rutting and relieve traffic congestion by "paving fiber strands will be incorporated into the new pavement for additional strength and rut resistance. The work also will include modifying the intersection to add a left turn off U.S. 26-89-191 onto WYO 22, removing the separate free right turns on and off WYO 22 and limiting movement into the intersection from Buffalo Way to a right turn only."
14. WYO 136 east of Riverton - repair 12 miles of road "by removing 3 inches of pavement, mixing it with oil and resurfacing the road with the same material."
15. U.S. 191 Spur (Elk Street) and Business 80/Business 30 (Dewar Drive) in Rock Springs - "remove the top section of road, mix it with an oil and resurface the road."
16. WYO 91 - remove the top section of road, mix it with a cement slurry, and resurface the road along an eight-mile segment between Torrington and Huntley.
More updates on some ongoing highway projects in Casper:
http://k2radio.com/casper-construction-updates-whats-opening-and-whats-closing/
QuoteCY Avenue (WYO 220): If you've been negotiating this construction since the beginning of April, your wait is almost over. Officials hope to have all four lanes of CY Avenue open to traffic next week. They still need to add a wearing course (the final, top layer of pavement) and paint the lines.
Wyoming Boulevard (WYO 258) at 12th Street Intersection Reconstruction: Traffic has now been switched to the northbound lanes, so demolition can begin on the southbound lanes. This means there is now no access to Wyoming Boulevard from 12th Street, or from Wyoming Boulevard onto 12th Street. Please plan an alternate route.
Yellowstone (Old Glenrock Highway) (U.S. 20-26-87) Pavement Repair: Traffic control is being put in place on for a job similar to the CY construction. That project is projected to begin next week, to mill and repave the stretch from the I-25 overpass to Hat Six Road. No business accesses will be closed.
Grand Teton plans roundabout at busy intersection (7/4/2017)
http://www.localnews8.com/news/grand-teton-plans-roundabout-at-busy-intersection/575000399
QuoteThe National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration are planning to build a Roundabout at the busy Gros Ventre Road and Sagebrush Drive intersection of US Highway 26/89/191.
Grand Teton National Park will hold an open house Tuesday, July 11 at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson to explain the project.
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2018.
The intersection has an average daily traffic volume of approximately 14,200 vehicles and almost 200 bicycle riders during the summer season. The Federal Highway Administration believes that high-speed, two-lane, rural road without traffic signals is probably the greatest safety risk of any type of intersection in the country. ...
The National Park Service, in partnership with Federal Highways, Wyoming Department of Transportation and Teton County, conducted safety audits and analyses, and evaluated several alternative solutions to the issue. A roundabout was determined to be the best safety improvement for pathway users, highway users, and wildlife, as well as the best balance of safety, protection of scenic views and cost. Other considerations included tunnels under the highway and Gros Ventre Road, bridge underpass with an additional pathway, pedestrian bridge, overpass or underpass with on and off ramps, stop light, and activated pedestrian crossing.
Quote from: andy3175 on July 08, 2017, 07:10:14 PM
15. U.S. 191 Spur (Elk Street) and Business 80/Business 30 (Dewar Drive) in Rock Springs - "remove the top section of road, mix it with an oil and resurface the road."
Will they sign US 191 Spur as well?
Quote from: SD Mapman on July 09, 2017, 02:49:35 PM
Quote from: andy3175 on July 08, 2017, 07:10:14 PM
15. U.S. 191 Spur (Elk Street) and Business 80/Business 30 (Dewar Drive) in Rock Springs - "remove the top section of road, mix it with an oil and resurface the road."
Will they sign US 191 Spur as well?
I don't think so. WyoDOT maintains the section of Elk Street between Business 80 and Interstate 80, but it is currently unsigned. The road essentially functions as a spur from U.S. 191 to Business 80, but there is no signage to that effect. WyoDOT inventories Elk Street along with U.S. 191 to the north as one continuous route under its unsigned system, but signs clearly show U.S. 191 leaving Elk Street to join Interstate 80 at Exit 104. I've always thought a new Business 191 could be created between Business 80 and Interstate 80 along Elk Street, with an overlap along Dewar Drive (Business 80) to reconnect to U.S. 191 (or alternatively along Blair Avenue/Blairtown Connector Road, but that is not a state-maintained road). But it seems WyoDOT is content for now to sign the northbound direction of Elk Street as "to Interstate 80 and U.S. 191" (see https://goo.gl/maps/9195dp2Pxy22) and the southbound direction as "Elk Street Rock Springs" (see https://goo.gl/maps/8ptArEbnGNy).
Interesting article about planned improvements on Laramie's Third Street (Business 80 and US 30-287): Tactical Urbanism Comes to Outlaw Country (9/8/2017) by Kriston Capps at https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/09/tactical-urbanism-comes-to-outlaw-country/537429/
QuoteFrom the old Garfield Street Footbridge, trainspotters can idle away the day watching freight trains as they rumble through town. The railroad tracks run directly underneath the pedestrian bridge, a relic built by the Union Pacific Railroad Company in 1929. Around Laramie, hanging around on this bridge waiting for a train to go by is a favorite local pastime, shared by residents and visitors alike.
The bridge over the railroad tracks gives a view of Laramie's past as well as its future: You can see the steeple of the Swedish Lutheran Church that still rises over the old Scandinavian neighborhood on the West Side, as well as the colorful murals that now dot the historic downtown to the east. ...
The train corridor, which defines the western edge of downtown, is a fixed border that Laramie has learned to live with, and even embrace. Not so Third Street, the highway that divides the town again just a few blocks to the east. For four-and-a-half miles, Third Street doubles as both U.S. Highway 30 and 287, a major north-south Wyoming thoroughfare that zips through Laramie, parallel to the rail. The highway is nearly impossible to cross as a pedestrian. This means that nearby Second Street–Laramie's historic downtown corridor–is virtually cut off from everything to the east, including the University of Wyoming, the city's lifeblood.
Solving a problem like Third Street ought to be a straightforward affair–you knock out some traffic lanes, add some landscaping and sidewalks and cycle tracks, and re-focus the road to emphasize other users, not just high-speed drivers. Plenty of cities have figured out that slowing down cars is one surefire way to turn downtown streets into more walkable communities. But a road diet has never looked feasible for Laramie, a town of 32,400 in open-sky country that is about as hostile to taxes as it is inviting to dreamers; around here, most folks don't know Jane Jacobs from Calamity Jane. ...
In Laramie, Community Builders is working with stakeholders–the Laramie Main Street Alliance among them–on a project called 3, 2, 1 . . . 3rd Street, a suite of enhancements to slow down traffic along a mile-long stretch of the highway.
From gateway medians to new on-street parking to turning-lane restrictions, there's nothing particularly revolutionary in this package. What's more striking is where this is happening–in a state that's known to be allergic to anything resembling a top-down government intervention–and the outsized impact the project could have on Laramie. Right now, University of Wyoming students who want to walk from the pocket of bars and restaurants around 17th Street to the main drag on Second Street have to cross 60 feet of highway on Third to get there. Curb extensions and gateway medians will make that safe and feasible for UW students–and ostensibly attract new businesses to Third Street itself.
Laramie doesn't have the money to pull off 3, 2, 1 . . . 3rd Street alone. What makes this proposal possible is a plan already in place by the Wyoming Department of Transportation to repave and repaint this stretch of highway (and add some accessibility improvements) by 2020–your standard "mill-and-fill" highway project. Laramie's project, including WYDOT's planned road work, is expected to cost several million dollars. Diverting state DOT funds to irrigate local needs is one of the goals of New Mobility West–an umbrella partnership between Community Builders and a few other like-minded regional groups to boost transit and transportation in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado. ...
Some of those Third Street improvements will draw from the tactical urbanist toolkit–public artworks, for example–as a bid to signal to drivers that they're driving through (or one street over from) a funky and walkable downtown filled with indie bookstores and craft beer saloons and one witchy herb shop. Laramie is missing out on a lot of potential sales tax revenue from travelers hauling ass past town instead of rambling along the historic Lincoln Highway tours that the Laramie Visitor's Center put together. Take the recent solar eclipse: Bar and restaurant owners did a brisk business over the weekend leading up to the Solar Super Bowl. But lots of drivers heading north for the totality zone may have skipped through without ever realizing they were missing an artsy college town.
A link to the 3, 2, 1 ... 3rd Street report is at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxF2nX7QBEntS3BpNE9kX0RIUlk/view
I've seen more pedestrian-oriented improvements along state maintained highways passing through urban cores in Wyoming, so this kind of project is not surprising. Laramie is very walkable place downtown, so improving ways to cross Third Street should be beneficial to the area.
Article on improvements and changes to the "Y" intersection at US 26-89-189-191 and Wyo. 22 in Jackson:
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/town_county/why-y-designers-did-it-that-way/article_f9e5b39d-dc35-588c-9800-f1a21549c8ee.html
QuoteBig changes are coming to the "Y" intersection at Broadway and Highway 22. The traffic-plagued bottleneck sees a daily average volume of 22,000 vehicles, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation starts a revamp of the intersection on Tuesday.
"What's kind of interesting to us in the traffic nerd world is the only other place in Wyoming we tend to see that much traffic is on Interstate 80," WYDOT Engineer Christina Spindler said. "When we're talking about the "˜Y' we're talking about a traffic volume on par with a controlled access highway that moves thousands of people each day. We're also met with unique situations of pedestrians and bicycles and turning movements."
The planned improvements to the Y intersection will include:
- Elimination of "free" right-turn lanes from US 26-89-189-191/Broadway south/west onto Wyo. 22 west and from Wyo. 22 east onto US 26-89-189-191/Broadway south/west toward South Park
- Introduction of an adaptive traffic signaling system that can adjust to changing traffic conditions
- Creation of right turn only from adjacent Buffalo Way (a smaller connector road) onto US 26-89-189-191/Broadway, which would eliminate one movement from the signal cycle
- Addition of double left turn lanes from US 26-89-189-191/Broadway north/east to Wyo. 22 west
Improvements coming to US 26-89-189-191 between Hoback Junction and Jackson, with first phase under construction between 2017 and 2019. Article is from May 2017.
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/town_county/highway-expansion-ready-to-start/article_69c0bbf0-e081-570c-8a91-522e6ced5a90.html
QuotePlanning to widen and improve Highway 89 between Hoback and Jackson has been going on for 17 years. With federal funds in hand, WYDOT could begin construction as early as next week.
To avoid as many road closures and detours as possible construction work for the 7-mile project has been divided into two sections. The north project starts at milepost 145 on US 89, near the WYDOT building, and continues north to milepost 148 near the South Park Loop Road.
In 2014 the average annual daily traffic on that route ranged from 6,270 to 8,000 vehicles a day. WYDOT estimates the average annual daily traffic by 2035 will be from 9,060 to 12,240 a day. ...
To deal with the growing congestion and fix safety problems that section of Highway 89 will be expanded to five lanes – two lanes heading in both directions and a turn lane in the middle.
Work will also include new roadway pavement, turnouts, pathways, landscaping, and bridge replacements, as well as several wildlife underpasses, wildlife fencing and a pedestrian-and-bike pathway.
The life expectancy of such a job is usually around 20 to 25 years.
The anticipated completion date for the north section is June 2019. The project's south section will be bid in 2019.
The south section of the project runs from milepost 141 to 145. In that section the first half-mile will be expanded to three lanes, with the middle lane acting as a shared turn lane. The next mile will become a four-lane highway with two lanes heading north, one heading south and a central turn lane. The final 2 miles of the section will become five lanes like the north section of the project.
The following article provides an update on progress to modernize US 212 Beartooth Highway, which links Cooke City and Red Lodge in Montana but passes through Wyoming along its 68 miles length. The road around 3 hours to drive under normal conditions, and its highest elevation is at Beartooth Pass, which is at 10,947 feet above sea level. This makes the US 212 Beartooth Highway one of the highest US-numbered highways in the country. It first opened to autos June 14, 1936, having been previously assigned designations as part of US 12 and US 312.
http://trib.com/lifestyles/recreation/m-goes-to-rebuilding-and-widening--mile-wyoming-section/article_c845c95c-d811-5a46-9567-f6c8c4503ab6.html
$16.6M goes to rebuilding and widening 1.6-mile Wyoming section of Beartooth Highway (US 212)
Lee Newspapers Mar 16, 2018
QuoteWyoming has been awarded a $16.6 million grant to rebuild the final segment of the Beartooth Highway, a section that's only 1.6 miles long but winds along a cliff that drops off precipitously into Beartooth Creek.
To work on that steep sidehill, engineers will design retaining walls to hold the road material so the highway can be widened without blasting into the rock cliffs, said Gregg Fredrick, chief engineer at the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
"We don't get to design and construct roads like this much anymore," Fredrick said. "It's kind of exciting that this last 1.6 miles has some funding and we will get this completed."
The seventh phase of reconstruction extends from milepost 24.5, just west of the Clay Butte Lookout turnoff, east to milepost 26.1 near Beartooth Lake at an elevation of about 8,500 feet. The work will include widening the road, improving road surface and drainage, replacing substandard bridges, constructing retaining walls to minimize environmental impacts, adding guardrails and signage and adding roadside pullouts. The reconstruction will also include two 3-foot shoulders on each side to accommodate bicyclists.
That means more delays for summer tourists driving the route in 2020 and 2021 when work will take place. The highway is closed in the winter but typically reopens to automobiles the Saturday before Memorial Day.
The route, known for its zig-zagging climb to almost 11,000 feet while passing through a tundra-like landscape dotted by mountain lakes, connects the Montana towns of Red Lodge and Cooke City to the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
The federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant will bring the entire stretch of Highway 212 up to modern standards and will complete the reconstruction of the full 67-mile length of the highway.
"This work and these funds are vital to ensure the integrity of the road in years to come," said Bill Panos, WYDOT director, in a statement.
WYDOT is part of the Beartooth Steering Committee, which also includes the Montana Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Yellowstone National Park, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming and Montana Congressional staff, and other federal, state, and local officials, tourism and community development organizations, and several nongovernmental organizations. The group has been working together to address the needs of the Beartooth Highway for nearly 25 years.
"This project wouldn't have been possible without the collaboration of everyone involved," Fredrick said in a statement. "The road is not included in the state highway system, which means a partnership like this is vital to getting this road reconstructed."
In other words, even though the road runs through a corner of Wyoming the state does not claim ownership of the route. Instead, the National Park Service has the responsibility to maintain the route.
Crews are already working on a section of road between milepost 28.4 to 31.5 – between Long Lake and the Top of the World Store – which officials anticipate will be completed by fall 2018. That project's price tag is $13.8 million and addresses similar issues.
When first contacted about the grant last week, WYDOT officials were unaware of the award that was touted in a press release from U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Tester helped secure the funding.
"The Beartooth Highway is the most scenic gateway to Yellowstone and draws tourists from around the globe who fuel Montana's outdoor economy," Tester said in his news release. "God doesn't make places like this anymore and we ought to keep them accessible. Finishing construction ensures folks can continue to visit the picturesque park and enjoy some of the best hiking, biking, and fishing Montana has to offer."
The Beartooth Highway is designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as an "All-American" road because of its one-of-a-kind features.
"The highway is considered a destination unto itself and provides an exceptional travel experience connecting Yellowstone National Park, the country's first, with Red Lodge," said Sherry Weamer, director of the Red Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce, in a statement.
In Tester's news release he also reiterated his disapproval of Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke's proposal to raise entrance fees at parks like Yellowstone.
In October Tester said in a press release, "Americans already own these parks and they shouldn't have to empty their wallets to enjoy them. Glacier and Yellowstone should be accessible to all of us. This decision will price Montana families out of our public lands, and hurt local economies, which thrive thanks to our National Parks."
Last week while in Browning, Zinke, a former Montana congressman, said he plans to go ahead with the fee increases that would triple or double fees that travelers had paid in the past. He reiterated that plan during a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday.
"When you give discounted or free passes to elderly, fourth graders, veterans, disabled, and you do it by the carload, there's not a whole lot of people who actually pay at our front door," Zinke said. "So, we're looking at ways to make sure we have more revenue in the front door of our parks themselves."
http://www.yellowstonegate.com/2014/01/yellowstone-asks-wyoming-to-adopt-orphan-beartooth-highway/
Yellowstone asks Wyoming to adopt "˜orphan' Beartooth Highway
By: Ruffin Prevost | January 17, 2014
QuoteYellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk traveled to Cheyenne on Thursday to ask Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead and state transportation officials to participate in a unique adopt-a-highway program.
Wenk wasn't looking for volunteers to clean up roadside litter. Instead, he asked Wyoming to take ownership of an "orphan" stretch of the Beartooth Highway. The soaring, scenic byway connects the Montana towns of Cooke City and Red Lodge, but it also passes through nearly 35 miles of high country just inside Wyoming's northern boundary.
Neither Mead nor members of the Wyoming Transportation Commission–which governs the state's Department of Transportation–appear eager to take on the massive financial burden that would come with assuming ownership of the road.
The question of who should pay to maintain the Beartooth Highway has been a political football almost since the road's completion in 1936. The issue has resurfaced after Congressional budget battles last year brought deep spending cuts under Sequestration to kick off Yellowstone's summer. The season ended with a two-week closure of all national parks under a partial federal government shutdown.
The National Park Service has assumed responsibility for most of the highway since the 1940s. But Wenk told Commission members that Yellowstone's newly reduced budget is now stretched too thin to make the Beartooth a prime concern.
"The work we do on the Beartooth Highway will always be secondary to the work we do in the park," he said. "I'm telling you it can't be our highest priority."
The Beartooth Highway is the only project funded and completed through the federal Park Approach Act of 1931, according to records from the Central Federal Lands Highway Division. A 1982 Interior Department legal opinion determined that, until a state or other entity assumes ownership of a segment, the Park Service has "the responsibility for the usual maintenance actions such as repaving, filling potholes, striping and even reconstruction of the road."
Changing travel trends
A 2006 report by the Federal Highway Administration states that "in the early years, Wyoming was never expected or formally asked to maintain" its portion of the road, which primarily serves Red Lodge, Cooke City and Yellowstone.
But commissioners were reminded that automobile travel and tourism patterns have changed over the decades, and the route connects with Wyoming's Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, bringing an estimated $20 million in annual tourist spending to the gateway town of Cody.
Montana began maintaining 15 miles of the eastern section of the road in 1965, but most of the highway remains unclaimed by either state, according to FHA records. That includes a nearly 10-mile Montana segment–from Yellowstone's Northeast Gate through Cooke City to the Wyoming line–that is still maintained by the Park Service.
Portions of the highway are in poor condition, and neither state has wanted to assume the long-term costs of plowing, maintenance and reconstruction.
WYDOT chief engineer Del McOmie told the Commission that fixing outstanding issues on Wyoming sections of the highway would cost "many tens of millions of dollars," and estimated annual maintenance expenses at $480,000 or more.
The Beartooth has been nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, and McOmie said that the highway's designation as a historical route could complicate and raise the cost of future design and repair work. He also stated that Wyoming already has a $64 million shortfall in maintaining existing roads.
Bruce McCormack, editor and publisher of the Cody Enterprise, is one of seven Transportation Commission members representing three- and four-county regions across Wyoming. He said after the meeting that the Commission is "obviously concerned about the high and uncertain construction and maintenance costs," as well as the highway's pending historic designation.
Allowing Wyoming to plow its segment of the Beartooth Highway is an idea some Cody business leaders have raised as a way to free up funds in Yellowstone's budget for plowing park entrances on time, while also ensuring the Beartooth is open by Memorial Day weekend each year.
McOmie said a state statute typically prohibits WYDOT employees from working on roads that aren't part of Wyoming's highway system, which the Beartooth is not.
More cooperation possible
Kim Capron, project coordinator for Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road, said a cooperative effort last spring between WYDOT and the Park Service to plow Yellowstone roads leading to Cody and Jackson, Wyo. proved that the state could work out a similar agreement for the Beartooth.
The Park Approach Act gave the Park Service authority to contract for maintenance of the road, but it never established a funding mechanism for maintaining the highway.
"That road is a national treasure, but we can never get to the point where someone cares enough to fund it properly," Capron said.
She praised the creative funding approaches WYDOT has adopted in recent years in seeking federal grants for the highway, as well as how the agency has cooperated closely with Montana and federal agencies to rehabilitate small sections of the road as money becomes available.
WYDOT officials have long said they would only consider adopting the road if it is brought up to the state's maintenance standards. Even if that happened, there appears to be little upside for Wyoming in taking over the road.
While it might free up money in Yellowstone's budget to ensure that spring plowing inside the park stays on schedule, many Wyoming officials are quick to point out that is already part of the Park Service's job.
Mead spokesman Renny MacKay said the governor believes "the Park Service should prepare a budget that provides for plowing its roads, opening on time and otherwise meeting its management responsibilities."
Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash characterized the meeting between Wenk and Mead as "cordial," and said they also discussed winter use, bison management and other issues.
Both MacKay and McCormack said Thursday's meetings were informative, and are likely to be followed by additional discussions and further consideration. But no immediate action from Wyoming is planned in response to Wenk's request.
Studies have shown that children are typically less likely to be adopted as they get older. Based on the cautious initial reactions to Wenk's request, the adoption prospects don't seem bright for the 78-year-old orphan that is the Beartooth Highway.
Contact Ruffin Prevost at 307-213-9818 or ruffin@yellowstonegate.com.
https://buckrail.com/work-gros-ventre-roundabout-run-april-november/
Work on Gros Ventre roundabout to run April through November
Buckrail Posted On March 6, 2018
(https://2zk8ci15bz0240i2m999gkf1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/NPS-Gros-Ventre-roundabout-960x640.jpg)
QuoteAuthorities in Grand Teton National Park announced today that construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 89 and Gros Ventre Road/Sagebrush Drive in the southern area of the park will begin on Monday, April 2. Construction activities are expected to last all season through the end of November.
GTNP superintendent David Vela said, "There will be traffic impacts related to this safety improvement project, and we highly encourage travelers to plan ahead for minimal delays and to be aware of the construction schedule for related impacts."
Vela added the park is coordinating with Teton County and others to work together to best minimize impacts and provide for safe access for all users as multiple road improvement and safety projects may be occurring this year.
Here's what they're doing:
- construction of a roundabout with a landscaped center island,
- creation of a temporary two-lane bypass road with a pathway for use during construction,
- relocation of the existing north-south pathway along Highway 89,
- addition of a quarter-mile pathway segment to connect with Sagebrush Drive,
- installation of a formal parking area on the Gros Ventre Road near the intersection,
- installation of a snowplow turnaround on the north side of the intersection, and
- repavement on a short section of the highway south of the intersection to the Gros Ventre Bridge.
During construction, a two-lane bypass with a separated pathway will be maintained to reduce congestion on the highway. Due to reduced speed through the construction zone, travelers should plan for 15-minute delays between 5am-8pm, and 30-minute delays at night between 8pm-5am.
During the construction of the temporary bypass, the Gros Ventre Road may be closed for up to five nights in the late spring to early summer from approximately 6pm to 5am. The Gros Ventre Road may also be closed up to two weeks after September 15, 2018, between 9am and 3pm to complete final roadway improvements. Gros Ventre Road traffic will be rerouted via the Antelope Flats Road during these times.
There will be a temporary pathway closure between the Gros Ventre River Bridge and north of the Gros Ventre Intersection through May 15, and again in late September. Pathway traffic may travel on the roadway shoulder through the Gros Ventre Junction area during the closures.
Any road or pathway closure dates will be confirmed approximately one week in advance of the closure via media release, roadside signs, park road information phone line, park website and park social media.
No parking will be allowed within approximately one-half mile radius of the Gros Ventre intersection throughout the entire construction duration, including the Gros Ventre Road and Sagebrush Drive. Vehicles will be allowed to park in paved parking areas or pullouts located along Highway 89. ...
The park has been working for years with the Federal Highway Administration, Wyoming Department of Transportation, and Teton County traffic experts to analyze the benefits of a modern roundabout. It was identified as the most effective solution to provide the best balance of improved safety, protection of wildlife and visual quality, and cost at the Gros Ventre Intersection.
The completed roundabout will accommodate existing and future traffic volumes. Other alternatives that were reviewed included tunnels under the highway and Gros Ventre Road, bridge underpass with additional pathway, pedestrian bridge, overpass or underpass with on and off ramps, stop light, and activated pedestrian crossing.
The construction contract for the roundabout and other safety improvements was awarded to HK Contractors from Idaho Falls.
Never knew dust abatement applications were applied to the unpaved road linking WYO 390 with Grand Teton National Park:
https://buckrail.com/moose-wilson-will-close-again-for-dust-abatement/
QuoteThe unpaved section of the Moose-Wilson Road in Grand Teton National Park will be temporarily closed for seasonal dust abatement beginning 4am. Tuesday, July 24 and will reopen by 8am. Thursday, July 26. This routine dust abatement application happens several times during the summer on the approximately one-mile of unpaved section of the seven-mile road.
In addition, the unpaved section of the Moose-Wilson Road will be graded this summer to maintain a better and safer driving surface between dust abatement applications. To minimize the impact to visitors, the grading operations will be conducted at night between the hours of 8pm — 6am. Two grading operations are planned for one night in mid-August and late September. The unpaved section of the road will be closed to public access during these grading operations.
Dust abatement and grading operations will continue until the unpaved section of the Moose-Wilson Road is reconstructed and paved, as determined in the Moose-Wilson Corridor Comprehension Management Plan Record of Decision. The park is working in partnership with Federal Highways to create a preliminary design for the unpaved section, as well as other improvements to the road. Initial work is anticipated to begin in late fall 2019. ...
Electronic signs will be placed on Wyoming Highway 390 to alert park visitors and local residents of the scheduled road closure. For travelers heading south to Teton Village from the Moose area, signs will also be placed near the junction of the Teton Park Road.
The product used for dust abatement is a slurry of magnesium chloride-the same product that is used to treat dirt roads in and around Jackson Hole. This product coats the road surface, but it can also adhere to the undercarriage of vehicles. Motorists who drive the unpaved portion of the Moose-Wilson Road after it reopens on Thursday may want to rinse off their vehicles to eliminate any residue.
Repairs began July 10, 2018, to fix Park County Route XUX, which is along WYO 296, Chief Joseph Highway:
http://www.kulr8.com/story/38616983/construction-starts-to-fix-destruction-of-wyoming-landslide
QuotePark County road workers are finally repairing a road that is buried in 30 feet of mud and debris. A Memorial Day weekend landslide along the Chief Joseph Highway in Crandall, Wyoming also buried and ripped apart cabins on the mountain side.
Park County Commissioners recently met with Crandall residents, and told them they couldn't start repairing County Road X-U-X until it dried out. The massive slide below Hunter Peak carried dead tree trunks from the 1988 wildfires, and live trees down the mountain.
Park County Commissioner Joe Tilden said geologists told them the land slide is part of an ancient slide. He said deep snow during the last two winters saturated the ground, and created a landslide that destroyed two homes.
Pavement repair coming to WYO 233 Hams Fork Road near Kemmerer:
https://kemmerergazette.com/article/wydot-will-host-public-meeting-on-wyo-233-work
(https://kemmerergazette.com/uploads/images/2018/07/b03c0ce8ff40470059f0b3debc3cd10b.JPG)
QuoteThe Wyoming Department of Transportation, along with representatives from Riverside Contractors, will be hosting a public informational meeting on the work that will take place on WYO 233, the Hams Fork Road. The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 12, at the South Lincoln Training and Events Center, 215 WY-233 in Kemmerer from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to present a tentative schedule of work and answer any questions residents might have about the projects.
WYDOT has been working on a pavement rehabilitation project on Wyoming Highway 233, Hams Fork Road, on 17.73 miles of WYO 233 beginning at about road marker 2. WYDOT representatives will be on hand to talk about the upcoming overlay on the Hams Fork Road, as well as the two slide repairs that will take place on WYO 233 in the future. The planned overlay will not be addressing the two slide areas on the Hams Fork Road at mileposts 12.5 (City Dam Slide) and 16.7 (Lake Naughton Slide). However, engineers will discuss when the slides will be repaired and the nature of the work.
The City Dam Slide is a result of settlement of the roadway over the years. WYDOT maintenance crews have been addressing the movement with frequent patching jobs. This slide repair job will be let in September of 2018 and will likely be constructed in 2019.
The Lake Naughton Slide is located on the "Ten-Percenter" Hill. The settling of the roadway has resulted in a very uneven roadway surface. This project is also in the September 2018 letting and will likely be constructed in 2019.
Quote from: andy3175 on July 08, 2017, 07:10:14 PM
8. WYO 130-230 Snowy Range Road/Harney Viaduct - remove 53-year-old Clark Street viaduct, construct Harney Street viaduct, connect new viaduct with Snowy Range, and widen the Laramie River Bridge to four lanes. Completion date: July 31, 2019.
The new Snowy Range Road Bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Laramie opened to traffic on Monday, July 16, 2018.
http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/industry_news/transportation/snowy-range-road-bridge-opened-for-traffic-monday/article_4920f9a8-89d0-11e8-a734-8b4615bce2f8.html
QuoteAhead of schedule and under budget was the main message during a ceremony to open the new Snowy Range Road Bridge that now connects the west and east sides of Laramie.
The bridge was built to replace the old Clark Street Viaduct, which closed Monday. It is scheduled for deconstruction in the coming weeks. When the ribbon was cut, the new bridge became the new route most people will take to cross over the railroad tracks in the city.
(https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/6c/66c7636e-110d-56b4-8057-29ba20cd9d65/5b4e01fa5375d.image.jpg)
Additional images: http://laramielive.com/snowy-range-road-bridge-officially-opens-to-traffic/
QuoteWYDOT Director Bill Panos said the bridge was the culmination of years of work, with meetings discussing the new bridge beginning in 1997.
Panos praised the hard work of the men and women who worked hard to make the bridge a reality, ahead of schedule and under-budget.
"This is what $23.5 million buys," Panos told those in attendance."So when we start talking about other highways and projects, use this as a comparison."
WYDOT Chief Engineer Gregg Fredrick said the project began over twenty years ago with a viaduct review committee.
"Today we stand on a state of the art bridge," Fredrick said. "But this bridge is about more than engineering, it's about community. This bridge connects a community."
Fredrick said the bridge recognizes the importance of other modes of transportation and has included wide sidewalks that provide for safe walking and biking.
Mayor Andi Summerville said there was huge amount of community input that helped shape the bridge.
The old Clark Street Bridge closed immediately after the Snowy Range Road Bridge opened, and WYDOT information specialist Matt Murphy said demolition of the Clark Street Bridge will begin this week.
Upcoming road projects around Laramie (with completion of WYO 130-230 Snowy Range Road viaduct over Union Pacific Railroad):
http://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/local_news/wydot-updates-commission-on-new-bridge-other-projects/article_5bc38ed6-6c66-11e8-9331-37133653344e.html
In summary, the article cites a replacement bridge on Curtis Street (Business 80) over the Union Pacific Railroad in 2021, new guide signs along Interstate 80 in 2020, new pavement along Business 80 and US 30 Grand Avenue between 3rd and 15th Streets, and a study to improve the Interstate 25-80 interchange in Cheyenne and to widen Interstate 80 to three lanes in each direction between Laramie and Cheyenne.
QuoteProjects within city limits
(An) emerging project for WYDOT in 2019 is construction on Grand Avenue from Third to 15th streets at an estimated cost of $2.6 million.
"This is not necessarily the same type of project that (you've) seen last time on Grand Avenue, that was a much bigger reconstruction." (WYDOT District 1 Construction Engineer Tim) Morton said. "This is a more of a mill and an overlay. We will fix some of the curbs and gutters that have deteriorated. We'll put new signals in."
Morton also said Third Street between Curtis and Boswell streets were due for maintenance in 2021.
"This is really a mill and an overlay, we'll address as much curb and gutter repairs as we can get to," he said.
Morton said they are planning to replace traffic lights and are working with the city to put in some enhancements such as medians or gateway improvements.
For 2022, Morton said they are looking at extending Bill Nye Avenue from 15th Street to Boulder Drive at a cost of about $5 million.
"We are working on a cooperative agreement with the city and the county ... for new construction to finish that road section around 15th Street," Morton said.
He said the Curtis Street Bridge project was slated for 2023 and the whole bridge would need to be replaced at a cost of about $7.3 million. He said WYDOT has hosted a meeting to inform the public and businesses on that side about the project. ...
The State Transportation Improvement Program presentation showed the projects for WYDOT District 1, which covers Albany County, most of Laramie and Carbon counties and a small part of Sweetwater County. This includes a large stretch of Interstate 80. Along with routine maintenance on I-80, WYDOT also has plans for I-80 sign upgrades.
"In 2020, we have I-80 sign upgrades – a lot of signs, big signs," Morton said. "So, we'll be out there with contractors setting new signs up and maintaining those."
The sign upgrades look to run about $900,000.
WYDOT District Engineer Tom DeHoff also updated the commissioners on I-80 speed limit changes, saying WYDOT plans to raise the speed limit to 80 mph between Creston Junction in Sweetwater County to the Rawlins/Johnson Road exit in Carbon County. He said I-80 east of Rawlins to Cheyenne will remain at 75 mph.
"The studies show that we can't raise it up to 80 in that section ... there are just several things that just don't allow that," DeHoff said. "In our long range plan, we are looking at trying to get variable speed limit signs all along I-80."
He also mentioned the new "move over" law that will go into effect July 1 along with new signs.
"The new signs are being installed by our District 1 sign crew," he said. "The new sign says to move for emergency vehicles, but also for work vehicles." ...
DeHoff said WYDOT is in the planning phase for two major projects that include the reconstruction of the I-80 and I-25 interchange in Cheyenne and widening I-80 to three lanes in each direction between Cheyenne and Laramie.
"We have hired a consultant to (work on) preliminary plans, and it will determine where it will widen, how it will look, what structures we have to replace," he said.
Another WYDOT update included a new wildlife-themed license plate that will be available by early 2019. DeHoff said they don't know what the design of it looks like yet, but the initial cost of the plate will be $150, then $50 to renew.
"The fees from this plate will go to a wildlife conservation account," he said. "That money will be spent on projects that have wildlife concerns – wildlife crashes with vehicular traffic. It could be signs, it could be a fence, it could be an overpass or underpass. It's not going to generate a lot for (an overpass or underpass) project, because an overpass, we are talking millions. But doing a fence or doing some signs, that's more attainable."
So they're finally getting around to dealing with the I-25/80 interchange, although only in the planning stage so far. My guess is that there will be several configurations considered; likely the minimal change would involve adding C/D lanes to each of the facilities. Since a full stack would likely not be considered simply because of cost, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see something like a "semi-turbine" interchange with direct NB 25>WB 80 and SB 25>EB 80 ramps added, but loops retained for the WB 80>SB 25 and EB 80>NB 25 movements, since those would intrinsically involve lower-traffic movements (and Nebraska-Denver traffic would have already shifted over to I-76). One more obsolescent old cloverleaf either upgraded or replaced!
With all those projects going on, I wouldn't be surprised if the I-25/I-80 interchange got a makeover. Cloverleaf junctions between two Interstates just don't work anymore.
Does anyone know the story behind how the heck I-180 in Wyoming became a thing? Wikipedia has no info and cant seems to find any other articles about it...
Quote from: SoCal Kid on April 07, 2019, 09:12:47 PM
Does anyone know the story behind how the heck I-180 in Wyoming became a thing? Wikipedia has no info and cant seems to find any other articles about it...
https://www.aaroads.com/west/i-180_wy.html (https://www.aaroads.com/west/i-180_wy.html)
Scroll down to the "history" section to find out more.
Quote from: Verlanka on April 08, 2019, 08:56:39 AM
Quote from: SoCal Kid on April 07, 2019, 09:12:47 PM
Does anyone know the story behind how the heck I-180 in Wyoming became a thing? Wikipedia has no info and cant seems to find any other articles about it...
https://www.aaroads.com/west/i-180_wy.html (https://www.aaroads.com/west/i-180_wy.html)
Scroll down to the "history" section to find out more.
I didn't know AARoads had pages about Interstates. Thanks, will read some more there
Does anyone think Wyoming will ever get rid of Interstate 180? I know they won't, but it's not like the roadway is lacking in other highway designations (Business 25/US 85/Business 87).
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on April 08, 2019, 04:02:14 PM
Does anyone think Wyoming will ever get rid of Interstate 180? I know they won't, but it's not like the roadway is lacking in other highway designations (Business 25/US 85/Business 87).
Possibly, could be resigned as SR-180. However I dont think there any plans to do so
Quote from: SoCal Kid on April 09, 2019, 12:59:24 AM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on April 08, 2019, 04:02:14 PM
Does anyone think Wyoming will ever get rid of Interstate 180? I know they won't, but it's not like the roadway is lacking in other highway designations (Business 25/US 85/Business 87).
Possibly, could be resigned as SR-180. However I dont think there any plans to do so
I like the idea of State route 180. By using a number that fits the interstate system it shows that the routing is an important way to connect Cheyenne to 80, while acknowledging that the road in question does not meet interstate standards.
It serves a purpose that is similar te 905 in California.
Nexus 5X
Article that mentions a long term Wy DOT employee who was involved in creating US 191 in Wyoming ...
https://www.sweetwaternow.com/david-fedrizzi-bids-farewell-to-department-of-transportation-after-61-years-of-service/
ROCK SPRINGS – The Wyoming Department of Transportation's longest running employee, David Fedrizzi, is bringing to a close a very long and successful career of 61 years. ...
Fedrizzi has also become the unofficial historian for highway work in District 3, managing the micro fiche library of as-constructed plans and taking calls and requests about past work in the area. Looking back, Fedrizzi recalled one of the most impactful jobs in his career–the construction of US 191 from the interstate to the Utah line from 1961 to 1964.
"I worked on the East Side Road (191 South) and I campaigned hard for a lake side road," he said. "At the time, there was no road out there and no continuous route from Canada to Mexico. There was a missing link in that route from western Wyoming to the corner of Utah."
"That is why they decided to build it where it is today. It was a high-pressure job that needed to be built quickly — 56 miles of road in less than four years. We had to meet the time schedule and it would have taken too long to build a lakeside road," Fedrizzi added.
Regards,
Andy
www.aaroads.com
Fatalities on Wyoming's highways have been greater this year than in 2016, 2017, or 2018.
https://mybighornbasin.com/another-fatality-on-wyoming-highways-the-87th-of-2019/
QuoteOn July 15, 2019, a fatal crash occurred around milepost 23 on Wyoming 50 south of Gillette, Wyoming. Around 4:25 p.m., Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were dispatched to the area for a motor vehicle collision.
A 1998 Dodge Ram was traveling northbound on Wyoming 50 when the vehicle drifted into the southbound lane colliding head-on with a 2003 Honda Odyssey.
The driver of the Honda has been identified as 29-year-old Kalamazoo, Michigan resident Stephen C. Y. Biddle. Biddle was wearing his seatbelt and succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the crash. Two other passengers in the Honda sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital.
The driver of the Dodge has been identified as 33-year-old Casper, Wyoming resident Sydney N. Peterson. Peterson was wearing her seatbelt and transported to the Campbell County Memorial Hospital for injuries sustained in the crash.
Driver inattention on the part of Peterson is being investigated as a possible contributing factor.
This is the 87th fatality on Wyoming's roadways in 2019 compared to 54 in 2018, 76 in 2017, and 49 in 2016 to date.
https://kgab.com/kansas-man-killed-in-i-80-rollover-east-of-rawlins/
QuoteA 38-year-old Mound City, Kansas man is dead after rolling his pickup east of Rawlins Thursday night.
It happened near milepost 233 on Interstate 80 around 10:30 p.m.
Wyoming Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeremy Beck says Christopher W. Otto was headed west when he lost control of his pickup in a construction zone crossover and rolled it.
Otto was not wearing his seat belt and died at the scene.
Beck says driver fatigue, speed and inattention are being investigated as possible contributing factors.
Otto is the 85th person to died on Wyoming's highways this year.
Wildlife migrations are considered for future upgrades to the WYO 22 and 390 intersection near Jackson.
https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/environmental/how-will-the-moose-cross-the-road/article_95125434-e9f0-54b2-b520-01b981f5cdcb.html
QuoteBuilding on the outrage from a succession of road-killed moose, conservation groups last month drummed up support, including from fuzzy-horned wildlife activists, to raise taxpayer money for wildlife crossings.
Simplified, the line heard by elected officials mulling a specific purpose excise tax ballot went something like this: Allow residents to vote on a $15 million wildlife crossing SPET ballot item, and moose will stop being hit and killed on the Snake River's west bank. Dozens who spoke and emailed councilors and commissioners delivered emotional appeals, recounting their own experiences with road-killed wildlife. ...
The highest-priority item listed in a Teton County staff report that breaks down the use of the hypothetical pot of money is the intersection that made headlines last month: the crossroads of Highways 22 and 390. A $2.5 million to $5 million allocation is suggested for the area, which the Wyoming Department of Transportation plans to reconstruct and widen starting in 2023. That SPET money – which joins a separate $7.5 million proposed ballot item for the Highway 22/390 intersection – would supplement approximately $3.5 million that WYDOT plans to set aside for wildlife crossings at the intersection. ...
A wildlife-focused committee advising WYDOT's planning process has identified the west side of the Snake River bridge – near where the two subadult moose were hit – as the No. 1 spot that needs to be addressed in the project area. And what's on the drawing board is a 100-foot-long, 15-foot-high "simple span bridge," an approximately $2.2 million addition that will connect cottonwood groves on each side of the commuter thoroughfare.
In terms of priority, the second wildlife-friendly modification on order for the Highway 22/390 intersection is along the east side of the Snake River bridge, between the levees and entrance to Emily Stevens Pond.
WYDOT plans to extend the bridge 85 feet beyond where it would otherwise land, an extra distance that would create an underhighway passageway. The cost, which the state agency is planning to cover, is estimated at about $900,000.
SPET funding, if authorized, could pick up the tab for two other structures or solutions near the intersection, one crossing along Highway 22 just west of the Village Road and another up Highway 390 itself near the entrance to Rendezvous Park. The details of what would go at the sites hasn't been decided, but WYDOT's wildlife advisory committee will meet July 16 to sort out those details.
Other projects that could be covered by a wildlife crossings SPET, if it were funded, are further on the horizon.
Highway 22 between Jackson and the Snake River is also in WYDOT's sights for an overhaul sometime in the next five to 10 years, and between $7.5 million to $9 million could fund overpasses and underpasses along the stretch.
Less-substantial changes to infrastructure could also be funded near Camp Creek on Highway 189/191. At this elk-crossing hotspot south of Jackson, an "animal detection system" could be built to alert motorists to animals on the shoulder at a cost of between $500,000 and $1 million. Another $500,000 in proposed SPET funds could pay for planning a long-term solution in this area.
SPET could also be tapped for a project along Highway 22, this time on the west side of Teton Pass. There, $1 million could be devoted to planning how to stem the chronic moose collisions that have plagued the area around the Wyoming-Idaho state line.
The priorities come from Teton County's recently wrapped up "wildlife crossings master plan," which laid out a hierarchy of projects the conservation community unanimously agreed to, Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation Executive Director Jon Mobeck said.
On the Snake's west bank wildlife and road managers are still learning about how moose interact with the road system. An estimated 70 moose live in the region, and in the past decade the Wildlife Foundation has logged 50 road-related moose deaths, a rate that suggests traffic could be suppressing the population, Mobeck said.
Last winter 10 of those moose were fitted with GPS tracking collars for the first time, Wyoming Game and Fish Department research made possible by a WYDOT grant.
Nine of the big brown ungulates crossed either Highway 22 or 390, and four of those animals braved the highways near the intersection, where state and potentially SPET-funded crossings are in the works (see map).
The movement data also indicates other factors, like illegal feeding, might be localizing moose in the area and encouraging them to cross the roads.
https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming-could-be-facing-tough-questions-on-highway-funding-this/article_1b3be15a-abfe-5938-8467-52d17c3fe7b7.html
QuoteCar ownership is almost a prerequisite for living in Wyoming.
In a nation that tops the world in automobile ownership per capita, Wyoming ranks the highest among states, with nearly 300,000 more vehicles than residents, according to 2015 statistics from the Federal Highway Administration. For many in this far-flung and lightly populated state, the only means of connectivity is the two-lane highway leading out of town.
Wyoming, however, is having difficulty footing the bill. In October, the Wyoming Department of Transportation revealed that the agency is currently facing a $135 million shortfall in what it needs to maintain the current conditions of the state's roads. ...
The cost of maintaining Wyoming's most desolate – but necessary – thoroughfares does not come cheaply. Of that $135 million shortfall, $72 million consists of funding for construction and maintenance projects. Meanwhile, sources to garner funding for those projects have been elusive, and when they have come along they've quickly been wiped out. ...
With costs increasing while revenues and expenses remain stable, highway departments find themselves having to do more with less. According to Chief Fiscal Officer Dennis Byrne, WYDOT does a fantastic job leveraging every state and local dollar it can – to the tune of roughly $1.64 in federal funds for every dollar in state funding – but maintaining a certain level of stability matters. ...
Though the 2015 Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act brought some stability to state departments' highway funding, some are looking warily toward its expiration next fall, particularly as states around the country continue to face significant shortfalls in their transportation budgets.
President Donald Trump has expressed interest in increasing the federal fuel tax to cover the shortfalls through increases to federal highway funding. However, Delaware Sen. Tom Carper said Wednesday, several members of the committee said that a fair share of the bill could be footed by the states themselves. ...
"We need to increase the funding, but we also don't want (WYDOT) to look to the general fund as their funding source," (Sen. Michael) Von Flatern (R-Gillette) said. "We have the albatross around our neck known as I-80. Since 80-plus percentage of traffic using it does not originate or stop in Wyoming, why are the citizens of this state paying the lion's share of the maintenance on that road?"
WYDOT unveiled its six-year road plan for Teton County, which includes Jackson.
https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/town_county/wydot-drafts--year-plan-for-teton-county-roadwork/article_f8501336-87bb-56e2-8ef3-60078b380f51.html
Quote1. South Highway 89 widening
When: Fiscal year 2019
Cost: $67.5 million
WYDOT plans to embark on the second phase of widening South Highway 89 all the way to Hoback Junction. Crews will wrap up the first phase – from South Park Loop to Munger Mountain Elementary School – in July.
The next phase, the highway's southern 4-mile portion, will extend the five-lane highway south to Hoback Junction. That project came in 26% over budget, and was awarded to Oftedal Construction for more than $67 million. Work should be concluded in July 2022.
The project includes three new wildlife crossings, in addition to three built on the north section of Highway 89, plus a pathway connecting Jackson to Hoback, WYDOT Resident Engineer Bob Hammond said.
2. Pavement rehabilitation from High School Road to South Park Loop
When: Fiscal Year 2019
Estimated cost: $2.8 million ...
3. Tribal Trail Connector and
intersection with Highway 22 When: Fiscal Year 2021
Estimated cost: $1.5 million for intersection
The proposed Tribal Trail Connector would be a county road, but Teton County has hired WYDOT to perform planning, design and construction. The connector linking South Park Loop and Highway 22 is called for in the town and county's Comprehensive Plan and Integrated Transportation Plan. ...
4. Pavement rehabilitation of Snake River canyon
When: Fiscal year 2021
Estimated cost: $3.2 million ...
5. Snake River Bridge replacement and Highway 22/390 intersection revamp
When: Fiscal year 2023
Estimated cost: $29 million
The replacement of the Snake River bridge on Highway 22 is the top bridge priority in the state because its deck is crumbling and at the end of its life, engineers say. The narrowness and traffic volume the structure sees also make it difficult to perform maintenance or handle accidents, and it's the only link to the West Bank and Wilson area.
Planning is already underway to replace the failing bridge with a four-lane structure with a median.
Because the intersection of Highways 22 and 390 is so close to the bridge, WYDOT plans to reinvent the intersection as well.
According to WYDOT's analysis, the best design for the new intersection at Highways 22 and 390 is something called a "Florida T." That means widening the main roadway to four lanes while also providing a couple of "slip" lanes for vehicles that don't have to stop at the intersection.
One slip lane will direct eastbound traffic around the intersection while the other will allow westbound Highway 22 drivers to turn right onto Highway 390 without stopping. ...
6. Swinging Bridge Replacement
When: Fiscal year 2023
Estimated cost: $4 million
WYDOT is partnering with Teton County to replace the failing century-old bridge in Hoback. Swinging Bridge provides a second access to Hog Island homes on the east side of the Snake River.
The bridge will be replaced under the state's Bridge Replacement "Off System" program, which means WYDOT will cover about 90% of project costs and the county will fund a 10% match.
7. Additional Teton Pass vehicle arrestor
When: Fiscal year 2026
Estimated cost: $4.6 million
A second vehicle arrestor is planned to be built on Teton Pass.
Vehicle arrestors are intended to reduce the risk of head-on incidents by allowing runaway vehicles to safely veer off the road without crossing traffic. They're a series of steel nets that absorb the force of a vehicle.
According to WYDOT, a second arrestor is needed. The preferred location is close to the bottom of the pass near Wilson. Because of the 5.2-mile descent down the pass's steep grade on Highway 22 eastbound toward Wilson, one arrestor isn't enough for all the errant vehicles whose brakes stop working, according to WYDOT. ...
8. Planning for Highway 22 from the "Y" to 22/390
When: Fiscal year 2026
Estimated cost: $5.3 million
The draft STIP includes $5.3 million earmarked for the section of Highway 22 from the "Y" intersection with Broadway to Highway 390. That amount couldn't cover construction, Hammond said, so it's meant for planning purposes. ...
9.Hoback area landslide repair
When: Fiscal year 2026
Estimated cost: None
WYDOT hopes to fix a small landslide at the edge of the guardrail just south of Hoback Junction for Highway 89, Hammond said.
(https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/jhnewsandguide.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/17/a17348eb-dcb4-526a-ad2d-ea9e0c21bdd1/5d12f79c18691.image.jpg)
You're probably aware of this, but if not, in April of this year, Wyoming's state legislature proposed converting all of Interstate 80 in Wyoming into a toll road. Source: https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local%e2%80%94news/wyoming-legislature-could-take-another-look-at-tolling-i/article%e2%80%9456d1d4d7-1b8c-5c8f-9061-c495dffc125c.html. The tolling study itself dates back to 2008, but was voted down by the legislature in 2010. Source: http://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/planning_projects/studies_plans/I-80_tolling_study.html.
Personally, I think the proposal is looney tunes! The traffic counts on Wyoming's Interstates (http://www.dot.state.wy.us/files/live/sites/wydot/files/shared/Planning/VMB/2018-VMB-1.pdf) are nowhere near high enough for a toll road to make sense. Wyoming has the lowest population (577,737), and the second lowest population density (5.97/sq mi) in the country. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming. I don't think the state can pull it off. Despite the previously mentioned transportation funding shortfall, there must be another way to keep Wyoming's roads maintained.
You're not counting through traffic just by considering WY's population.
If you have been on I-80 for any amount of time you would see a large amount of semis passing East & West thru the state. The tolls would be for these large number of out of state vehicles with WYO residents/I assume license plates being exempt.
Quote from: ski-man on October 13, 2019, 10:41:24 PM
If you have been on I-80 for any amount of time you would see a large amount of semis passing East & West thru the state. The tolls would be for these large number of out of state vehicles with WYO residents/I assume license plates being exempt.
If they try exempting vehicles based on state tag, they will be hit with a number of lawsuits about location discrimination not being Constitutional.
Quote from: rte66man on October 17, 2019, 01:46:57 PM
Quote from: ski-man on October 13, 2019, 10:41:24 PM
If you have been on I-80 for any amount of time you would see a large amount of semis passing East & West thru the state. The tolls would be for these large number of out of state vehicles with WYO residents/I assume license plates being exempt.
If they try exempting vehicles based on state tag, they will be hit with a number of lawsuits about location discrimination not being Constitutional.
What about all the states that already practice E-ZPass transponder discrimination?
If there are a lot of trucks along the Interstate 80 corridor, couldn't they add a separated third lane in both directions, and only allow trucks to use that lane? I'm still not sold on the tolling proposal.
Quote from: US 89 on October 17, 2019, 04:06:26 PM
Quote from: rte66man on October 17, 2019, 01:46:57 PM
Quote from: ski-man on October 13, 2019, 10:41:24 PM
If you have been on I-80 for any amount of time you would see a large amount of semis passing East & West thru the state. The tolls would be for these large number of out of state vehicles with WYO residents/I assume license plates being exempt.
If they try exempting vehicles based on state tag, they will be hit with a number of lawsuits about location discrimination not being Constitutional.
What about all the states that already practice E-ZPass transponder discrimination?
In that case, it's based on where one gets their transponder, not where one lives (though NY is notorious for giving Port Authority tags instead of MTA/NYSTA/NYSBA tags to people from out of state who sign up online). Though ideally transponder discrimination would be banned too.
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on October 17, 2019, 04:19:23 PM
If there are a lot of trucks along the Interstate 80 corridor, couldn't they add a separated third lane in both directions, and only allow trucks to use that lane? I'm still not sold on the tolling proposal.
That is one of the options they want to use the tolling money for along with maintenance from the large semi use.
Wyoming plans to close rest areas
https://cdllife.com/2020/wyoming-dot-to-shut-down-10-rest-statewide/?amp
Rest area closure locations:
Lusk on US 18
Guernsey on US 26
Greybull on US 14-16-20
Moorcroft on Interstate 90
Star Valley on US 89
Ft. Steele on Interstate 80
Sundance on Interstate 90
Upton on US 16
Orin Junction on Interstate 25
Chugwater on Interstate 25
SM-G975U
I get the need to save money during these times but to permanently close much needed rest areas is a lousy and bad decision overall.
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on June 07, 2020, 08:02:25 AM
I get the need to save money during these times but to permanently close much needed rest areas is a lousy and bad decision overall.
From my experience traveling around Wyoming, my feel is that a lot of these hardly qualify as "much needed".
Quote from: ski-man on October 13, 2019, 10:41:24 PM
If you have been on I-80 for any amount of time you would see a large amount of semis passing East & West thru the state. The tolls would be for these large number of out of state vehicles with WYO residents/I assume license plates being exempt.
Good time to build a Green River-SLC freeway
WY 330 in Sheridan has been decommissioned, with the road being turned over to the City of Sheridan (per WYDOT email).
The Casper Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (which assists Casper, Mills, Evansville, Bar Nunn, and Natrona County governments) issued its draft Transportation Improvement Plan in June 2020.
https://casperwy.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_62983/File/Government/Departments/Community%20Development/MPO/FY21%20MTIP%20Amendment%20DRAFT.pdf
Major projects proposed for the next four years in the vicinity include:
Rehabilitation of County Road 407/Kortes Road
Reconstruction of Midwest Avenue between Elm Street and Poplar Street
Pedestrian bridges over the North Platte River in West and North Casper
Center Street underpass enhancements
Paving of Evansville Secondary Access Road
Reconstruction of Lathrop Road
Improvements to Sunset Boulevard in Bar Nunn
Reconstruction of Poplar and 1st St intersection, including bridge widening
I-25 Reconstruction of structures over the North Platte River from Center St. to Poplar St.
Miscellaneous street repairs and sidewalk installations throughout the Casper area
Quote from: US 89 on June 08, 2020, 10:19:24 AM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on June 07, 2020, 08:02:25 AM
I get the need to save money during these times but to permanently close much needed rest areas is a lousy and bad decision overall.
From my experience traveling around Wyoming, my feel is that a lot of these hardly qualify as "much needed".
As someone who just drove across Wyoming, they absolutely are, given the relatively low amount and quality of gas stations on 80.
Quote from: TXtoNJ on July 28, 2020, 12:06:55 PM
Quote from: US 89 on June 08, 2020, 10:19:24 AM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on June 07, 2020, 08:02:25 AM
I get the need to save money during these times but to permanently close much needed rest areas is a lousy and bad decision overall.
From my experience traveling around Wyoming, my feel is that a lot of these hardly qualify as "much needed".
As someone who just drove across Wyoming, they absolutely are, given the relatively low amount and quality of gas stations on 80.
Yeah, Wyoming is one of the few states where I actually use rest areas with any regularity
Interesting tidbit on the role of Milward Simpson in determining the route of Interstate 90 between Sheridan and Gillette. The debate included which city would be signed as control for Interstate 90 between Sheridan, Buffalo, and Gillette
https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/milward-simpson-and-death-penalty
Quote
Choosing a route for I-90
In 1956, Simpson faced an issue involving the federal government's Federal Highway Act. Its goal was to implement a system for quick, reliable and safer transcontinental travel–what we now call the interstate highway system. As part of the act, and to help fund the program, the plan stipulated that each level of government would contribute to the upgrading of the nation's road network. To achieve this goal, states were required to "hold public meetings to consider the economic effects of the location if a Federal-aid highway involved bypassing or going through a city, town, or village."
One of the three major routes planned to cross Wyoming was Interstate 90, a major highway from Boston to Seattle. The highway was to enter the northeastern corner of Wyoming, connect with what is now Interstate 25 at Buffalo, Wyo., head north to Billings, Mont., then west to Seattle. Much to the concern of the town of Sheridan, this plan would make Buffalo a control area on the interstate highway between Gillette and Sheridan. That designation would mean more signs would be posted on the interstate about Buffalo than would have been otherwise.
In May, a public meeting was held in Sheridan. Federal and state highway department representatives heard delegations from Sheridan and Buffalo give opposing views. The meeting marked the start of a year-long campaign to move the control area to Sheridan. During the year, delegations from Sheridan attended State Highway Commission meetings, and gave presentations showing that locating the control area in Buffalo would be a significant economic impact for their community. If Sheridan did not appear as a destination on the traffic signs on the route, Sheridan delegates feared, people would be more likely to stay the night in Buffalo before driving on up and through Sheridan on the way to Yellowstone National Park.
In one meeting the Sheridan group proposed that I-90 would follow the existing route of U.S. Highway 14 between Gillette and Sheridan, which bypasses Buffalo. In a later meeting, a group of ranchers from Johnson County, where Buffalo is located, protested this idea. At all of these meetings the state commissioners explained that they could only recommend a route, and the federal Bureau of Public Roads would make the final decision.
In a 1992 interview with the New Yorker, Milward Simpson's son, U.S. Sen. Al Simpson, relates a colorful story of a meeting in the governor's office between his father and a delegation from Sheridan. As Al eavesdrops on the conversation, the group tells Simpson they would hate to vote him out of office, if he did not step in and recommend their proposed route change. They told him he needed to step in on behalf of the survival of his wife's hometown. According to the interview, Milward Simpson was deeply insulted by their request and sent them on their way.
In January 1957, the commissioners made their final decision, agreeing with the recommended route, making Buffalo, not Sheridan, the control area.
I posted this this morning and I'm kind of proud of it. I wonder what people who are familiar with Wyoming would think of it, though:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26007.msg2554063#msg2554063
Speed cameras under consideration in Wyoming
https://oilcity.news/wyoming/legislature/2020/12/14/wyoming-steering-toward-automatic-speeding-cameras-would-raise-an-extra-7-2-million-in-fine-collections/
QuoteThe Wyoming Legislature is considering joining other states in authorizing the use of "automated vehicle identification systems" to enforce speed limits and other traffic laws. ...
The Wyoming Department of Transportation "has indicated that if these systems are fully implemented along I-80, I-25, Teton Pass, and in construction zones and school zones, the potential revenue increase from collections for citations could be up to $7.2 million per year," according to the Legislative Service Office. ...
The Wyoming Legislature will consider Senate File 03 during their up-coming general session (in January 2021). Under the proposal, systems which "simultaneously record a photograph of the vehicle, the operator of the vehicle and the license plate of the vehicle" could be used to enforce traffic laws.
"Recordings or images may be entered into evidence for a speed limit violation, size or weight limit violation or other violation that endangers contractors or employees in a school or construction zone and may be discoverable for other criminal actions," the proposed legislation states.
The legislation would require that signage be posted "in a conspicuous place not fewer than three hundred (300) feet before the area in which the automated vehicle identification device is to be operated notifying the traveling public that an automated vehicle identification device is in use immediately ahead."
Hopefully this dies a nice fast death and turns into an all out ban in automated traffic enforcement.
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on December 14, 2020, 11:45:17 PM
Hopefully this dies a nice fast death and turns into an all out ban in automated traffic enforcement.
But this is the authoritarians' wet dream of the future and it is just a plus to them that it would secure more funding for the government. With the way things have been as of late (unless the public starts standing up for liberty en masse) this is our destiny along with a tax for miles driven.
This article discusses stolen and rearranged traffic signs found on several Park County roads near Powell, Wyoming, notably on several east-west county roads: lanes 9, 10, 11 and 11H. These lanes are typically signed with the typical county pentagon sign (M1-6) with the prefix L for lane followed by the numerical designation.
More info on their county system is at
http://www.parkcounty.us/publicworks/publicworks.html.
Article:
https://www.powelltribune.com/stories/more-road-signs-stolen,28753?
QuoteOver one week in December, 10 signs, 22 traffic cones and two sign stands went missing, with other signs rotated sideways or upside down, the department said.
"It's been really bad lately," Park County Engineer Brian Edwards told county commissioners on Tuesday.
He thinks some of the trouble (such as the rotated signs) can be attributed to "youth mischief." Meanwhile, the signs that were stolen cost more than $500 to replace – and that doesn't include the cost of having workers reinstall them, Edwards said.
"It adds up," he said.
In a Facebook post last month, Edwards wrote that, beyond the replacement costs, "missing traffic signs can be dangerous for motorists."
In Casper, McKinley Street underpass has an 11-foot clearance where it passes beneath the railroad not far from its interchange with Interstate 25.
According to this article, a truck and the underpass itself were damaged on January 14, 2021, when a too-tall truck attempted to make the trip.
https://oilcity.news/community/2021/01/15/another-truck-meets-with-mckinley-street-bridge-significant-damage-to-both/
This is not the first time this has happened, and repairs have been conducted in years past to address damage to the bridge when similar oversize vehicles attempted to pass underneath the railroad. Additional info is available here from a similar crash from 1980 (complete with pictures):
https://oilcity.news/community/backstory/2020/10/02/backstory-stuck-truck-amuck-under-mckinley-st-bridge/
In southeastern Wyoming last week on January 13, winds (with some gusts as high as 105 mph) knocked over 18 vehicles along Interstate 80 and other roads. Road closures followed until winds subsided.
https://www.oilcity.news/community/weather/2021/01/14/photos-18-vehicles-blown-over-as-hurricane-force-winds-up-to-105-mph-rocked-wyoming/
Wyoming Department of Transportation budget shortfall may be hundreds of millions of dollars more than previously thought.
https://www.trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wydot-shortfall-could-be-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-larger-than-previously-thought/article_e532ef42-aafe-545c-a3a7-f557a1196d90.amp.html
Quote
The report comes as Gov. Mark Gordon's administration has sought hundreds of millions of dollars in budget reductions amid an economic decline driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and persistent underperformance in the fossil fuel industry.
For WYDOT, those cuts have come in the form of closed rest stops, delayed construction projects – including a long-discussed road-widening project on a particularly dangerous stretch on Highway 59 between coal-producing communities Wright and Gillette – and plans to reduce snow plowing service on certain stretches of highway this winter, all of which were discussed with legislators during Monday's meeting.
A solution to fund those unmet needs has been elusive for the agency, whose budget is separate from the state's general fund budget. Fuel taxes – one of the agency's most critical revenue sources – have remained flat over the last several years due to growing numbers of fuel-efficient vehicles, while WYDOT's buying power has declined substantially throughout that same period.
Solutions to replace the fuel tax through tools like a proposed road usage charge, meanwhile, have elicited a significant amount of controversy in recent months from citizens concerned about the privacy implications of relying on remote frequency identification devices to track how many miles people have driven in a year.
The State of Wyoming Legislature meets in odd-numbered years to consider various bills. As it enters this year's session, it is considering Senate File 73 related to possible tolling of Interstate 80 in Wyoming.
Bill language and status on the following link:
https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2021/SF0073
I hope that dies a quick death.
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on March 02, 2021, 09:39:47 AM
I hope that dies a quick death.
Agreed. We don't need more trucks on I-70 via shunpiking.
Chris
Video of US 20 and WYO 789 in the Wind River Canyon south of Thermopolis.
https://cowboystatedaily.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c52c167138bc12e61832ce1bc&id=6238f04de2&e=62d5fa929f
Significant closures to roads in eastern Wyoming and northern Colorado due ongoing blizzard that began yesterday.
https://www.oilcity.news/general/2021/03/13/hundred-of-miles-of-wyoming-highway-close-saturday-night-crash-on-i-80/%3famp
QuoteTravel is expected to be "very difficult to impossible" this weekend, especially in southeast Wyoming, according to the National Weather Service. A blizzard warning is in effect until 5:00 am Monday in the southeast.
"Impacts to roadways will be serious with potential road closures of major interstates and state highways." Black ice, and blowing snow with potential whiteouts are advised.
Road closures as of the morning of March 14, 2021 include all roads in and out of major Wyoming cities such as Cheyenne, Casper, and Laramie. Today, Interstate 25 and Interstate 80 are mostly or entirely closed in Wyoming. Other roads such as US 20-26, US 30-287, US 287 to Ft. Collins, WYO 220, WYO 487, etc. are also closed.
Details on the storm's duration and accumulation is available here (video link): https://cowboystatedaily.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c52c167138bc12e61832ce1bc&id=1357d25eab&e=62d5fa929f
Quote from: andy3175 on March 14, 2021, 11:34:42 AM
Significant closures to roads in eastern Wyoming and northern Colorado due ongoing blizzard that began yesterday.
https://www.oilcity.news/general/2021/03/13/hundred-of-miles-of-wyoming-highway-close-saturday-night-crash-on-i-80/%3famp
QuoteTravel is expected to be "very difficult to impossible" this weekend, especially in southeast Wyoming, according to the National Weather Service. A blizzard warning is in effect until 5:00 am Monday in the southeast.
"Impacts to roadways will be serious with potential road closures of major interstates and state highways." Black ice, and blowing snow with potential whiteouts are advised.
Road closures as of the morning of March 14, 2021 include all roads in and out of major Wyoming cities such as Cheyenne, Casper, and Laramie. Today, Interstate 25 and Interstate 80 are mostly or entirely closed in Wyoming. Other roads such as US 20-26, US 30-287, US 287 to Ft. Collins, WYO 220, WYO 487, etc. are also closed.
Details on the storm's duration and accumulation is available here (video link): https://cowboystatedaily.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c52c167138bc12e61832ce1bc&id=1357d25eab&e=62d5fa929f
Can confirm; Laramie and Cheyenne are still closed off (probably won't reopen till tomorrow night).
The storm left motorists stranded in Wyoming and Colorado with record snowfall in multiple locations.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/03/14/wyoming-blizzard-snow-records-broken-motorists-stranded-snowplows-give-up/
QuoteWith 26 inches of snow on Cheyenne by mid-day Sunday, the National Weather Service said the city broke a two-day snow total record beating the past amount of 25.2 inches recorded back in 1979.
The heavy snow prompted closures for all state government offices in Cheyenne on Monday, the University of Wyoming, all schools in Laramie and Natrona counties, as well as city offices in both locations. ...
It's so bad, WYDOT said, that immediately after drifts are plowed, they fill up again.
"WYDOT will need rotary plows (typically used to clear WYO 130 of snow in the spring) to clear drifts accumulating on portions of I-80," they said.
To that end, crews in some areas have suspended operations.
"Due to overwhelming snow and lack of visibility we have decided to suspend our plowing operations in the Casper area. We've had several plows drive off the roadway due to limited to zero visibility," the department said.
Same goes for the City of Casper. If you get stuck, you're stuck.
"City crews are not available to assist stranded motorists. If you have a true emergency, call 911," the city announced.
Despite most roads in the affected areas being closed – including all of Interstate 80 and Interstate 25 – the Wyoming Highway Patrol said they were fielding calls from many motorists who were stranded.
Photos shared by the Highway Patrol appeared to show a tow truck trying to rescue another tow truck in very difficult conditions.
SM-G975U
https://oilcity.news/community/weather/2021/03/15/photos-closures-on-i-80-us-30-287-in-wyoming-to-last-until-at-least-10-pm-tuesday/
QuoteThe Wyoming Department of Transportation said at around 12:45 pm Monday that some closures on I-80 and US 30/287 in Wyoming will last until at least 10 pm Tuesday.
"These drifts are heavy and hard to move and continue to be impacted by blowing snow," WYDOT said. "Widespread 3-4+ ft drifting on I-80 & I-25."
I-80 (and US 30) remains closed in both directions from Rawlins to the Nebraska state line with some exceptions for local travel. I-80 is closed eastbound from Evanston to Rawlins.
US 287 has closures in effect in both direction from the Colorado state line through Lander.
SM-G975U
Wyoming is considering an increase to the fuel tax.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/03/02/wyoming-needs-higher-fuel-tax-for-roads-official-says/
Quote
Wyoming needs the proposed increase in fuel taxes to keep up with its highway maintenance, according to an official with the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
Doug McGee, public affairs manager for WYDOT, told Cowboy State Daily the department is facing a shortfall of about $354 million in unfunded needs per year. "Certainly, this fuel tax is very much needed to maintain our roads and bridges — our transportation system — to the level that Wyoming citizens expect," McGee said.
House Bill 26, which would increase the state's fuel tax from 24 cents to 33 cents per gallon for both diesel and gasoline, passed the House Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee last week on a 6-3 vote. The extra 9 cents per gallon would be a 37.5 percent increase in the state's fuel taxes and would bring Wyoming's fuel tax to the same level as neighboring Idaho. ...
"Wyoming's economy – indeed, the nation's economy – travels on Wyoming's roads," he pointed out. "We need good, solid infrastructure to keep our economy strong." McGee added that tourism, the third largest economic sector in the state, relies on the highways and interstates that the bill would help maintain.
McGee said the department would receive a little over $40 million of the $61.47 million the increased tax would generate — and while that is just a fraction of the shortfall WYDOT is facing, every dollar counts. ...
WYDOT Director Luke Reiner has said that for every dollar not spent on preventative maintenance on roadways, $4 to $8 will be required for complete highway reconstruction down the road.
The increase has won the support of a number of organizations including the Powder River Basin Resource Council, Wyoming Taxpayers Association, Wyoming County Commissioners Association, Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association, and Wyoming Association of Municipalities. The groups spoke in favor of the tax increase during a hearing on the bill held by the committee on Feb. 23. Many said that although they would not normally support increased taxes, the fuel tax proposal is different.
SM-G975U
Interstate 80 opened up again on Wednesday 3/17
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/03/17/wyoming-interstates-open-thousands-of-truckers-get-back-to-work/
QuoteAnd go they did. Truckers, that is. They had been lined up near Interstate 80 onramps for more than three days as a historic late-winter blizzard in Wyoming shut down much of Wyoming.
Whether it was a photo taken in Cheyenne, Evanston, or all points in between, hundreds, if not thousands, of truckers were given the green flag – appropriate for St. Patrick's Day – at 9:30 Wednesday morning and off they went.
Only hours earlier, the same thing happened on I-25 after days of waiting. ...
Two commenters wagered on when a massive accident and subsequent shutdown of I-80 would take place due to so many trucks on the road. (They both lost as I-80 stayed open and no wrecks were reported).
SM-G975U
WyoDOT is considering a general speed limit of 55 mph along WYO 22, while some residents are seeking a lower speed limit in consideration of the scenic, wildlife, and community character aspects of the corridor.
https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/the_hole_scroll/wydot-says-55-mph-is-a-better-speed-limit-for-22-commission-will-consider-issue/article_7476aaa8-43c4-5e49-ba4f-b6a305d21500.html
Quote
The Wyoming Department of Transportation is eyeing a unified, 55 mile per hour speed limit on a long stretch of Highway 22, but some Teton County officials and residents do not like the proposal. ...
But Commissioner Luther Propst doesn't buy it.
"I feel like the response from the highway engineers in Rock Springs is focused on a single value: moving as much traffic as fast as possible," he said. "This community was not thinking about one value – traffic flow – but thinking about balancing several values: safety, wildlife protection, protecting community character and protecting the scenic values of the valley."
The County Commission is set to review a letter requesting a year round 45 mile per hour speed limit during its 9 a.m. Monday voucher meeting.
SM-G975U
QuoteWyoDOT is considering a general speed limit of 55 mph along WYO 22, while some residents are seeking a lower speed limit in consideration of the scenic, wildlife, and community character aspects of the corridor.
I think that this is the first time I have ever seen this in a rural area. This could have been done to US 209 in the Delaware Water Gap, but I think that it was more to keep trucks away.
I just checked out the July 2019 streetview and 22 is posted at 55 throughout this stretch. Is this WYDOT attempting to raise it back to 55 after it was recently lowered? Or am I missing something?
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on March 23, 2021, 08:46:12 AM
I just checked out the July 2019 streetview and 22 is posted at 55 throughout this stretch. Is this WYDOT attempting to raise it back to 55 after it was recently lowered? Or am I missing something?
My guess is that at least some Teton County officials disagree with 55 mph limit and have opened up the conversation again. I've not seen any results from the Zoom meeting nor any indication that there will be a reduction in the speed limit ... at least not yet.
SM-G975U
The Wyoming State Legislature is considering naming a portion of Wyoming Highway 120 near Cody as the Hank Coe Leadership Highway.
I am surprised that there are not many other legislatively named highways in Wyoming as noted at the end of the article.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/03/24/bill-designating-hank-coe-highway-advances/
QuoteHenry Huttleston Rogers "Hank" Coe passed away just two months ago at the age of 74 after battling pancreatic cancer – less than a year after his retirement from public office.
He served in the Wyoming Legislature for 32 years in a multitude of roles, including majority floor leader, Senate vice president and Semate President, and chaired a number of committees.
Among his many achievements, Coe played an instrumental role in creating the Hathaway Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship which benefits Wyoming students who attend state colleges and the University of Wyoming. ...
House Bill 135 designating the highway has been approved by the House and was approved Tuesday in its first reading by the Senate. If the Senate approves the bill in two more readings, it will go to the desk of Gov. Mark Gordon for his signature.
If it passes, the "Hank Coe Leadership Highway" will join other memorial roadways such as the "Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Highway" on Interstate 25; the "Wyoming Women's Suffrage Pathway" on Highway 28 in Fremont County; the "Medal of Honor Highway" on Highway 20 between Wyoming's borders with Montana and Nebraska, and the "Wild Horse Highway" east of Cody on Highway 14/16/20.
SM-G975U
Construction of pavement rehabilitation and bridge work on Interstate 80 at the WYO 76 interchange east of Sinclair begins this week and extend into 2022.
https://oilcity.news/community/2021/03/19/multi-year-i-80-construction-work-east-of-sinclair-beginning-in-march/
SM-G975U
Quote from: andy3175 on March 16, 2021, 10:10:48 PM
Wyoming is considering an increase to the fuel tax.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/03/02/wyoming-needs-higher-fuel-tax-for-roads-official-says/
Quote
Wyoming needs the proposed increase in fuel taxes to keep up with its highway maintenance, according to an official with the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
Doug McGee, public affairs manager for WYDOT, told Cowboy State Daily the department is facing a shortfall of about $354 million in unfunded needs per year. "Certainly, this fuel tax is very much needed to maintain our roads and bridges — our transportation system — to the level that Wyoming citizens expect," McGee said.
House Bill 26, which would increase the state's fuel tax from 24 cents to 33 cents per gallon for both diesel and gasoline, passed the House Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee last week on a 6-3 vote. The extra 9 cents per gallon would be a 37.5 percent increase in the state's fuel taxes and would bring Wyoming's fuel tax to the same level as neighboring Idaho. ...
"Wyoming's economy – indeed, the nation's economy – travels on Wyoming's roads," he pointed out. "We need good, solid infrastructure to keep our economy strong." McGee added that tourism, the third largest economic sector in the state, relies on the highways and interstates that the bill would help maintain.
McGee said the department would receive a little over $40 million of the $61.47 million the increased tax would generate — and while that is just a fraction of the shortfall WYDOT is facing, every dollar counts. ...
WYDOT Director Luke Reiner has said that for every dollar not spent on preventative maintenance on roadways, $4 to $8 will be required for complete highway reconstruction down the road.
The increase has won the support of a number of organizations including the Powder River Basin Resource Council, Wyoming Taxpayers Association, Wyoming County Commissioners Association, Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association, and Wyoming Association of Municipalities. The groups spoke in favor of the tax increase during a hearing on the bill held by the committee on Feb. 23. Many said that although they would not normally support increased taxes, the fuel tax proposal is different.
SM-G975U
The fuel tax increase bill died.
https://oilcity.news/wyoming/legislature/2021/03/24/wyoming-house-let-fuel-tax-hike-proposal-to-generate-60-3m-per-year-die/
QuoteThe Wyoming House of Representatives failed to consider House Bill 26 ahead of Monday's deadline to consider legislation on first reading (Committee of the Whole) during the 2021 General Session.
The bill would have increased the tax on gasoline, diesel and alternative fuel by nine cents per gallon along with "comparable increases in the tax distributions on fuel used in snowmobiles, motorboats and off-road recreational vehicles," according to the Legislative Service Office.
Construction begins on bridge and pavement replacement along Interstate 80 between US 287 (Third Street) and Business 80 (Curtis Street) (Mileposts 310 to 313) in Laramie starting March 29.
https://oilcity.news/general/2021/03/28/summer-construction-on-i-80-around-laramie-begins-monday/
QuoteCrews will be replacing concrete slabs and placing a high performance wearing course, which helps preserve the new pavement and gives better traction.
In addition to the pavement work, crews will be completing bridge rehabilitation work along multiple structures within the project area, including the structures over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as well as the structures crossing the Laramie River.
Each rehabilitated bridge will receive either an epoxy or latex overlay, which also helps with traction and preservation, WYDOT said.
Oh yes, they have definitely already started this work. made the mistake of taking I-80 to get across town instead on city streets. Traffic wasn't too bad bad the semi's go very slow through this area due to the narrow lanes with the temp concrete barriers.
WYO 130 bridge east of Saratoga has been temporarily repaired, allowing for weight restrictions to end.
https://oilcity.news/wyoming/2021/03/31/wydot-lifts-weight-restrictions-on-wyo-130-structural-support-added-to-bridge-near-saratoga/
QuoteThe Wyoming Department of Transportation said on Wednesday, March 31 that weight restrictions for legal loads traveling along Wyoming Highway 130 east of Saratoga have been lifted.
Work to add structural support to a bridge along the highway has allowed the restrictions to be lifted.
"Crews with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and Reiman Corp. recently finished shoring the bridge, which adds additional support underneath the structure," WYDOT said. "The bridge is located near mile marker 57, close to Carbon County Road 504." ...
The bridge will be replaced with a culvert later this summer and WYDOT said they will release further information about this project and potential travel impacts at a later date. Motorists should expect delays from construction activity once the work is underway.
SM-G975U
Three road construction projects are underway this summer in Yellowstone National Park:
- Grand Loop Road between Tower-Roosevelt and Canyon Junction - planned improvements include a wider road (better shoulders, not additional lanes); additional pullouts for slower traffic (or motorists viewing wildlife); and improved/larger Tower Fall General Store parking area, trail, and overlook. Completion anticipated May 2022.
- North Entrance - improve flow of motorists and pedestrians and modify entry facilities to reduce waiting times to enter the park. Completion anticipated Fall 2021.
- Old Faithful Overpass - the deck of the overpass of this trumpet interchange at Old Faithful on the southwestern segment of the Grand Loop Road needed replacement. Work began in 2020 and continues until completion in fall 2021. (The interchange directs travelers from the Grand Loop Road to Old Faithful and the surrounding geyser basin and its many trails and visitor amenities including the Old Faithful Lodge, food, gas, and shops.) While much progress has been made on the overpass, one-way traffic may be enforced for a period of time until the work is completed later this year.
(https://image.tetonmediaworks.com/Yh2AhFA.hP7Y~1558/w:960/h:640/q:60/rt:fill/g:ce/https://buckrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Old-Faithful-Bridge.jpg)
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/04/08/yellowstone-officials-prepare-for-three-major-road-projects-in-2021/
QuoteEven though Yellowstone National Park is set to open its gates beginning April 16, preparations are already being made for three major road construction projects will occur in the park this year.
One project will force the closure of the highway between Tower-Roosevelt and Canyon Junction, while the other two projects will cause delays and/or traffic pattern changes – one at the Old Faithful Overpass Bridge and the other at the North Entrance.
https://buckrail.com/work-continues-on-old-faithful-overpass-bridge/
QuoteThe Old Faithful overpass bridge remains closed as repair work continues. The closure allows crews full access to the entire deck surface and approach lanes.
Crews are making deck repairs, new approach slabs, new curbing, girder repairs, railing improvements, and the removal and replacement of deck drains. ...
The overpass was closed on July 22, 2020, due to safety concerns for the National Park Service to evaluate the condition of the bridge.
https://sheridanmedia.com/news/43627/2021-yellowstone-road-construction-projects-to-improve-visitor-safety-access-and-experience/
Rest areas previously closed will reopen ... at least temporarily.
https://oilcity.news/community/2021/05/06/9-wyoming-rest-areas-to-reopen-for-2021-tourist-season-in-time-for-memorial-day-weekend/
QuoteNine Wyoming rest areas which were closed in June 2020 as a cost-saving measure will re-open ahead of Memorial Day weekend, the Wyoming Office of Tourism said on Thursday.
Governor Mark Gordon has directed the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Wyoming Office of Tourism to temporarily re-open the following rest areas for at least the duration of the 2021 tourist season.
The list includes:
Lusk on US 18-20
Guernsey on US 26
Greybull on US 14-16-20 and WYO 789
Moorcroft on I-90 and US 14-16
Star Valley on US 89
Sundance on I-90 and US 14
Upton on US 16
Orin Jct on I-25 and US 18-20
Chugwater on I-25
Article on Lincoln Highway in Wyoming:
https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/lincoln-highway-wyoming
The article covers several interesting aspects of what is now a combination of Interstate 80 and U.S. 30 across the southern tier of Wyoming. The first section establishes the origin of the Lincoln Highway:
QuoteIn 1913, the nation's first transcontinental highway followed Wyoming's southern rail corridor. A well-publicized effort led by eastern automakers, the Lincoln Highway introduced tourists, especially women, to the wonders of Wyoming. It also spurred businesses in the state. Although its official life lasted little more than a decade, the route lived on as U.S. Route 30. Since the construction of Interstate 80, the Lincoln Highway has become a touchstone of nostalgia for a friendlier, more easygoing type of auto touring.
An iconic view of the Lincoln Highway is seen along James Town Road (WYO 374), which is old U.S. 30. However, an older alignment of the highway passed through Telephone Canyon as noted in this passage in the article:
QuoteWyoming 374 west of Green River is one of those gorgeous old-fashioned drives, adjacent to the river and under Tollgate Rock and sandstone palisades. The view is so iconic that it's on the cover of the 2013 edition of Brian Butko's book Greetings from the Lincoln Highway: America's First Coast-to-Coast Road. And although this is indeed the Lincoln Highway, it's only one version–the 1924 route.
The original 1913 Lincoln Highway crossed the Green River close to town on an old wagon bridge. It then ascended Telephone Canyon through drylands south of Wyoming 374. Like Laramie's Telephone Canyon, this one was named because it provided the route of the first telephone wires. The first Lincoln Highway followed these wires, not the scenic riverside. That's because there was only one decent bridge across the river, until the state built a new bridge, 286 feet long, for what is now Wyoming 374 a few miles upstream.
Indeed, most of Wyoming contains three or four alternative Lincoln Highways.
Investments in new roads allowed for straightening, or better bridges, or flatter grades, or fewer railroad crossings, or less mud or better relations with adjacent landowners. Often the old route still exists as a two-track dirt path, though sometimes it enters private lands. But in the case of Green River's Telephone Canyon, the only evidence of the old road is the old maps identifying it. One of the most fascinating aspects of Gregory Franzwa's 1999 book The Lincoln Highway in Wyoming is its 118 maps–7.5-minute USGS topographic quadrangles, one inch to about 2.6 miles–charting the multiple parallel paths of the migrating highway.
The article mentions the numbering debate that occurred in the early days of the U.S. Highway System, including changes that resulted in the U.S. 30 north/south split near Granger. I don't recall U.S. 530 replacing U.S. 30 South as noted in the article (see quote below). U.S. 530 was located between U.S.40 and U.S. 30 South in Utah between Echo and Kimball Junction, but I don't think 530 went any further east than Echo nor ever entered Wyoming.
QuoteThe road-numbering authorities initially suggested that the Lincoln Highway become U.S. 30 from the east coast to Salt Lake City, where it would merge with U.S. Route 40 to San Francisco. U.S. 40 has equally historic associations; it was built atop older trails including the National Road and the Victory Highway.
But Oregon and Idaho complained: Their only transcontinental route would then be U.S. Route 20, impassable through Yellowstone Park in the winter. In a compromise, U.S. 30 North left the Lincoln Highway near Granger, Wyo., heading northwest into Idaho, where it then picked up the old proposed U.S. 20 to Astoria, Ore. U.S. 20 terminated at Yellowstone, while U.S. 30 South followed the Lincoln Highway to Salt Lake City, then angled north to rejoin U.S. 30 North at Burley, Idaho.
But soon U.S. 30 South was renumbered as U.S. Route 530. The Lincoln Highway lost a bit of numeric unity. Decades later, alterations made things more confusing: U.S. 530 was eliminated, U.S. 40 was terminated near Salt Lake City, and U.S. 20 was extended, crisscrossing U.S. 30 in Idaho to land on the Pacific at Newport, Ore. Only with the coming of the interstate system would a number, I-80, roughly correspond to the full Lincoln Highway.
The creation of Interstate 80 made further changes to the Lincoln Highway corridor, including the construction of the Interstate past Elk Mountain and Arlington rather than along the Lincoln Highway through Hanna, Medicine Bow, and Rock River.
QuoteThe website of the Lincoln Highway Association recommends that to do a modern tour, a person can mostly take the Interstate. After all, today's maps label much of I-80 as "the Lincoln Highway." The website does advise getting off the Interstate and onto city streets in Cheyenne, Sinclair, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Green River, Lyman/Fort Bridger, and Evanston. Most importantly, it urges people to take U.S. 30 from Laramie through Medicine Bow to Walcott Junction.
This nearly-100-mile stretch may be the most famous Wyoming "Lincoln Highway." As the name of one website of gorgeous photographs says, it was "bypassed by I-80." It's almost as if, when we celebrate the Lincoln Highway, we celebrate the act of being bypassed.
In other words, when most people talk about the Lincoln Highway, they mean old U.S. 30. Other than that 100-mile stretch and the "business routes" through cities, people understand that what was bypassed may often now be a frontage road. In a few places, such as the summit between Cheyenne and Laramie, the old road may be as much as a mile from the newer road. In some places it may still be maintained, and drivable, where in other places, it may have faded to nothingness or been obliterated by its replacement.
But "old U.S. 30" is also a moving target. Like the Lincoln Highway, it too was frequently moved, straightened, or improved between its creation in 1926 and the coming of I-80 in the 1960s. For example, in 1935, U.S. 30 between Pine Bluffs and Cheyenne was relocated to reduce distance by five miles and eliminate all railroad crossings. If you want to follow the actual route that Eisenhower did in 1919, you can't take that "new" U.S. 30, on the route of today's I-80. You have to take what are now county roads to the north, through downtown Egbert, Burns, and Hillsdale, Wyo.
Likewise, the new U.S. 30 no longer passes through Elmo, Latham or Frewen, Wyo., as the 1931 version of U.S. 30/Lincoln Highway did. The newer roads no longer pass through the heart of Fort Fred Steele, as the 1922 Lincoln Highway (before its rechristening as U.S. 30) did; nor through Baxter, as the 1916 Lincoln Highway did; nor through Blairtown or a stage station south of Bryan named Lone Tree, as the 1913 Lincoln Highway did. You may not have heard of most of these places–but a stickler would say that's precisely the point. By the 1940s they'd all been "bypassed by U.S. 30."
Why do we care more about the act of being bypassed by I-80 than by U.S. 30? It's more recent, in the memory of most baby boomers. It's more substantial, cutting off that 100-mile stretch. And the construction of the interstate system–with its divided traffic, limited access and limits on commercial activity–feels more momentous than a mere road improvement and relocation. Thus the most important date in today's conception of the history of Wyoming's Lincoln Highway may not be its dedication on Oct. 31, 1913, but the opening of I-80 on Oct. 3, 1970.
Update on paving operations in the Cheyenne area for summer 2021:
https://oilcity.news/community/2021/05/03/wydot-seasonal-paving-operations-begin-around-laramie-county-in-may/
Here are the locations:
WYO 216 near Albin between mile markers 12.6-13
WYO 214 near Carpenter between mile markers 6.3-7.1
WYO 211/Horse Creek Road between mile markers 22.8-23.4
WYO 219/Yellowstone Road between mile markers 5.1-5.4
Interstate 25 at mile marker 8.84
U.S. Highway 30/Lincolnway between mile markers 366.6-366.9 (west of Whitney Road)
Interstate 80 westbound off-ramp to southbound I-25
Crews are removing snow on WYO 70 over the Sierra Madre (Battle Pass) and WYO 130 over the Snowy Range for a Memorial Day weekend opening.
Photos of plow operations: https://oilcity.news/community/weather/2021/05/13/photos-wydot-plowing-deep-snow-to-open-snowy-range-road-by-memorial-day-weekend/
SM-G975U
A portion of Yellowstone Highway (US 20-26-87) in Casper will close overnight on May 17, 2021. This work will include pouring the concrete bridge deck.
https://oilcity.news/community/2021/05/13/yellowstone-highway-closure-to-impact-casper-traffic-bridge-pour-slated-for-monday-night/
SM-G975U
Wyoming DOT is putting together a wish list of possible expensive projects for the upcoming federal infrastructure if it is approved.
Some ideas include:
- Constructing a tunnel for WYO 22 under Teton Pass near Jackson along with capacity improvements
- Realigning a portion of Interstate 80 onto US 30 in the Elk Mountain area to reduce weather-related closures, which are common each winter
- Constructing a tunnel along US 20/WYO 789 in Wind River Canyon south of Thermopolis
- Increasing electric charging stations, adding truck parking areas, repairing bridges, and adding truck climbing lanes on Interstate 80
- Creating wildlife corridors to allow animals to safely cross highways
- Increasing maintenance of US 212 Beartooth Highway
- Improving airports across the state
These items are not necessarily going to happen but are of interest to the department. We'll see if any of these come to fruition.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/05/12/drilling-1-3-mile-tunnel-through-teton-pass-on-wydots-wish-list-for-bidens-2-trillion-infrastructure-plan/
SM-G975U
Quote from: andy3175 on May 14, 2021, 09:49:27 AM
- Realigning a portion of Interstate 80 onto US 30 in the Elk Mountain area to reduce weather-related closures, which are common each winter
Assuming they get the money to do this, I'm wondering if that'll be a realignment of the entire 75 mile stretch from Laramie to Walcott along US 30/287, or if they will create a new alignment between current I-80 and US 30/287 just around the immediate Elk Mountain area. Completely realigning via US 30/287 would add about 15 miles to I-80.
I'm curious as to why the Elk Mountain area is so problematic in winter? Is there a major grade or two around there?
Quote from: Revive 755 on May 15, 2021, 12:10:49 PM
I'm curious as to why the Elk Mountain area is so problematic in winter? Is there a major grade or two around there?
It's a combination of three factors: consistently high winds that can reach 90 mph gusts, winter snow that creates blizzard conditions during those high wind events, and high truck volume.
The snow that falls is made worse in that it is usually less dense and thus will keep blowing around after the storm leaves. This wind activity creates ground blizzards that push the snow around at about 6 to 10 feet above ground level. This can create whiteout conditions on otherwise sunny days.
The snow still falls on the US 30-287 corridor but not to the same degree as Elk Mountain and Arlington, and the winds there are not as funneled/intense as they are near the Snowy Range.
SM-G975U
Quote from: andy3175 on May 15, 2021, 03:03:04 PM
Quote from: Revive 755 on May 15, 2021, 12:10:49 PM
I'm curious as to why the Elk Mountain area is so problematic in winter? Is there a major grade or two around there?
It's a combination of three factors: consistently high winds that can reach 90 mph gusts, winter snow that creates blizzard conditions during those high wind events, and high truck volume.
The snow that falls is made worse in that it is usually less dense and thus will keep blowing around after the storm leaves. This wind activity creates ground blizzards that push the snow around at about 6 to 10 feet above ground level. This can create whiteout conditions on otherwise sunny days.
The snow still falls on the US 30-287 corridor but not to the same degree as Elk Mountain and Arlington, and the winds there are not as funneled/intense as they are near the Snowy Range.
SM-G975U
Yeah, that area is pretty nasty in winter, but I-80 is particularly bad because it hugs the Medicine Bow Range; if it was even 4-5 miles off it would probably stay open more in the winter.
Quote from: SD Mapman on May 15, 2021, 09:52:36 PM
Quote from: andy3175 on May 15, 2021, 03:03:04 PM
Quote from: Revive 755 on May 15, 2021, 12:10:49 PM
I'm curious as to why the Elk Mountain area is so problematic in winter? Is there a major grade or two around there?
It's a combination of three factors: consistently high winds that can reach 90 mph gusts, winter snow that creates blizzard conditions during those high wind events, and high truck volume.
The snow that falls is made worse in that it is usually less dense and thus will keep blowing around after the storm leaves. This wind activity creates ground blizzards that push the snow around at about 6 to 10 feet above ground level. This can create whiteout conditions on otherwise sunny days.
The snow still falls on the US 30-287 corridor but not to the same degree as Elk Mountain and Arlington, and the winds there are not as funneled/intense as they are near the Snowy Range.
SM-G975U
Yeah, that area is pretty nasty in winter, but I-80 is particularly bad because it hugs the Medicine Bow Range; if it was even 4-5 miles off it would probably stay open more in the winter.
Agreed. That is the conclusion I've seen in reading the book Snow Chi Minh Trail by John Richard Waggener. Chapter 11 of that book describes the known geography of the foothills that Interstate 80 traverses between Laramie and Walcott Junction. Wind and snow are more pronounced here than even 10 miles away.
US 30-287 arguably would be a better all-weather highway for Interstate 80 than the route we have currently. Page 151 of that book notes that officials even considered making Interstate 80 closed in winter.
Copies of the book that explores the history of Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins may be ordered by contacting the Wyoming State Historical Society. Call Linda Fabian, the society's executive secretary, at (307) 322-3014 or email linda@wyshs.org.
More information on the book is here: https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2017/10/uw-ahc-archivist-writes-book-on-snow-chi-minh-trail-along-i-80.html
SM-G975U
Another factor I forgot to mention is elevation. The foothills route Interstate 80 follows now generally is 7400 to 7900 feet. The US 30-287 route is around 6700 feet.
SM-G975U
Construction season is in full swing in Wyoming: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/06/16/construction-season-in-wyoming-causes-continuing-delays-on-highways/
Locations of this summer's construction projects include the following roads and locations; a map for the 2021 season is available here: https://map.wyoroad.info/wtimap/index.html. Most projects involve pavement and bridge repairs and construction.
- Interstate 25: south of Cheyenne, between Cheyenne and Chugwater, Casper bridge construction, and around Kaycee
- Interstate 80: east of Cheyenne, in Telephone Canyon between Cheyenne and Laramie, west of Laramie, near Elk Mountain, between Sinclair and Walcott, east of Rock Springs near the airport, and west of Rock Springs
- Interstate 90: east of Moorcroft for bridge repairs
- U.S. Highway 14/16/20 in Cody
- U.S. Highway 14A/310/Wyoming Highway 789 near Lovell
- U.S. Highway 16 between Worland and Ten Sleep
- U.S. Highway 16 east of Ten Sleep
- U.S. Highway 16/20/Wyoming Highway 789 near Worland
- U.S. Highway 20/26 west of Casper
- U.S. Highway 20/26/87 in Casper
- U.S. Highway 20/Wyoming Highway 789 at Shoshoni
- U.S. Highway 26/89/189/191 south of Jackson
- U.S. Highway 26/287 between Moran Junction and Dubois
- U.S. Highway 85 between Lingle and Lusk
- U.S. Highway 89 between Thayne and Alpine Junction
- U.S. Highway 189/191 at Pinedale Bridge
- U.S. Highway 287 north of Lander
- U.S. Highway 287/Wyoming Highway 789 southeast of Lander
- U.S. Highway 310/Wyoming Highway 789 north of Powell
- Wyoming Highway 28 south of Lander
- Wyoming Highway 30 between Basin and Burlington
- Wyoming Highway 120 northwest of Cody
- Wyoming Highway 211 northwest of Cheyenne
- Wyoming Highway 220 southwest of Casper
- Wyoming Highway 296 northwest of Cody
There are plans to pave the road from the north end of Wyoming 390 (Moose-Wilson Road) at Teton Village into Grand Teton National Park over the next several years:
https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/environmental/grand-teton-to-close-parts-of-moose-wilson-road-for-much-of-2022/article_aa60dc92-1965-5a3c-a3dc-3db53210a79b.html
QuoteA long planned overhaul of the Moose-Wilson Road will eliminate travel between Grand Teton National Park and Teton Village for much of 2022 and require construction for at least the next four years.
On Tuesday, park staff rolled out their infrastructure plans for the 8-mile-long road, which will initially include two phases of construction that will move from south to north. Perhaps most notably, the graveled, 1.4-mile stretch of the route will be paved next summer – the primary cause of the extensive closures, which will be mostly confined to 2022. ...
The plan the park landed on will close the Moose-Wilson Road between the southern Granite Entrance Station and the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve in the spring of 2022. The road will then open beginning Memorial Day as a through route for the busy summer season, but only from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday each week. Then, after Labor Day, the southern stretch of the Moose-Wilson corridor will entirely close again.
Grand Teton developed a comprehensive management plan for the road by completing an environmental impact statement following a years-long planning process that ended in 2016. Some of the decisions along the way attracted controversy, such as a proposed and then scrapped plan to turn the road into a one-way route.
Ultimately, the park chose a plan that seeks to maintain the current rural, rustic nature of the road. A notable component that is not being pursued over the next four years is a crowd-control "queuing system" that would have put a cap on vehicles allowed in the corridor during the busiest, most congested times of year.
Besides paving the road, the work that starts next year will renovate the Granite Entrance Station while giving cyclists and pedestrians a safer route to exit the separated pathway along Highway 390, which currently spills out onto a high-speed section of road, Grand Teton Branch Chief of Project Management Jessica Brown explained. The road itself around the entrance station will also be realigned, with curves added, to encourage slower driving speeds. ...
Throughout the road corridor park officials will be formalizing and paving informal pullouts – about 20 of them – where motorists can park to go for a jaunt or stop to peep at wildlife.
They'll also make the road itself more uniform, ensuring its paved surface is between 18 and 20 feet wide. Today the gravel section gets to as wide as 30 feet, where potholes have encouraged drivers to forge new routes.
The construction work will cause a complete closure of the Granite Canyon trailhead in 2022 and 2023, though the parking area will be accessible next winter. Access to southern park hikes like the Valley Trail will still be possible by taking off or coming out at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Brown said. At the trailhead the plan is to add two vault toilets, benches, 32 parking spaces and a turnaround space for plow trucks.
The second phase of road work, on tap for 2024 and 2025, will cause disruptions on the north end of the road. Plans are less concrete, but the improvements will cover the Death Canyon access road, trailhead and parking lot. The park is also realigning the northernmost section of the Moose-Wilson Road so that the access point is beyond the Moose Entrance Station.
Each phase costs roughly $13 million, and the $26 million in funds have already been secured through the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, a pot of money created by the Great American Outdoors Act.
What is the reasoning behind the crazy A-C on I-80 at I-25 and worse yet D-A on I-25 at I-80 in Cheyenne? The exit number suffixes don't make any sense at all.
I don't know ... it's been that way for years. Pretty much the only cloverleaf in Wyoming, isn't it?
Quote from: roadman65 on September 06, 2021, 12:43:06 PM
What is the reasoning behind the crazy A-C on I-80 at I-25 and worse yet D-A on I-25 at I-80 in Cheyenne? The exit number suffixes don't make any sense at all.
They do make sense, just not in the way we think of suffixed exits:
359A: Both directions from I-80 to I-25 south
8B: Both directions from I-25 to I-80 west
359C: Both directions from I-80 to I-25 north
8D: Both directions from I-25 to I-80 east
There is a method to Wyoming's madness. Whether or not it's a good idea is another story.
Quote from: FrCorySticha on September 06, 2021, 01:37:00 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 06, 2021, 12:43:06 PM
What is the reasoning behind the crazy A-C on I-80 at I-25 and worse yet D-A on I-25 at I-80 in Cheyenne? The exit number suffixes don't make any sense at all.
They do make sense, just not in the way we think of suffixed exits:
359A: Both directions from I-80 to I-25 south
8B: Both directions from I-25 to I-80 west
359C: Both directions from I-80 to I-25 north
8D: Both directions from I-25 to I-80 east
There is a method to Wyoming's madness. Whether or not it's a good idea is another story.
The interchange between Interstate 25 and Missile Drive/Happy Jack Road (WYO 210) used to be a cloverleaf, but three of the four loop ramps were removed as well as the first offramp from southbound. As a result of the ramp removals, the offramps from both directions of Interstate 25 are signed as Exit 10D, even though there is no Exit 10A, 10B, or 10C. The implied B ramp existed until the cloverleaf was eliminated, and the A and C ramps were on Missile Drive... even though several of these movements were eliminated when the interchange converted from cloverleaf to a folded diamond on the west side of the interchange and a diamond interchange on the east side.
Here is a link to the Google Maps aerial that shows the previous ramp at Exit 10D configuration fairly well in satellite view:
https://goo.gl/maps/3BPcCvZzJzgXGJd47
Our page goes into detail on this, as we have photos showing the previous and current configurations:
https://www.aaroads.com/west/i-025se_wy.html
https://www.aaroads.com/west/i-025na_wy.html
As for why WyDOT chose the exit numbering scheme, FrCorySticha has the best explanation ... but it is not consistent with any other state's application of numbering I've seen. Maybe there are other examples of something similar elsewhere? I could not find any other cloverleafs in Wyoming other than the current I-25/80 interchange.
An example of Wyoming conforming to the standard (sorta) is the I-90 interchange with I-90 Bus and I-25 in Buffalo - https://goo.gl/maps/MKkgAapfKnA2vwVDA
I-90 EB has Exit 56A with I-90 Bus and Exit 56B with I-25. I-90 WB has no exit with I-90 Bus but I-25 is still Exit 56B.
There is also a more usual suffix application on I-25 in Casper, with 188A going to Center St and 188B to US 20/26.
As far as I can tell, those five cases (359 on 80, 8/10/188 on 25, and 56 on 90) are the only letter suffixes in the entire state of Wyoming.
Bridge demolition along Interstate 25 in Casper continues...the link has photos of the partially demolished bridge.
https://oilcity.news/galleries/2021/08/17/photos-interstate-25-southbound-bridge-in-casper-demolished-for-replacement-project/
QuoteThe Interstate 25 bridge over North Walsh Drive in east Casper is partially demolished in a project to replace the structures.
On Tuesday, large sections of the southbound section of the bridge dramatically laid on their sides in the process to remove and replace them.
According to WYDOT, both sections of the bridge will be demolished and replaced with a single, shorter design.
The project, which has an estimated cost of $29.7 million, started in June and is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2023.
Traffic has been diverted into detours to bypass the area, and delays are expected throughout the project, WYDOT said in a press release earlier this year.
"As the project progresses, the impact to traffic on I-25 and on East Yellowstone Highway, between Curtis Street and the F Street turnoff area, will require motorists to reduce their speed, pay attention, and if possible, find alternate routes," WYDOT said in the release.
On October 13, someone placed miniature snowmen on US 16 in Ten Sleep, and they survived the day without getting run over.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/10/14/snowmen-survive-all-day-in-middle-of-wyoming-highway/
(https://cowboystatedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/snowmen-5-2048x1152.jpg)
QuoteSomeone built two miniature snowmen and placed them in the middle of Highway 16 which runs through the community and no one ran over them.
And it's not like there wasn't traffic. There was.
"When I took my pictures, a line of pickups with camp trailers, a semi, and cars went by them very carefully," said resident Barbara Coutis Lee. "The drivers slowed way down so they wouldn't hit them."
Carol Greet, a rancher in the area who originally posted the photos on her ranching-based "Red Dirt In My Soul" page said drivers paid extra caution not to smush to the arctic figurines. ...
The goodwill or the weather didn't cooperate overnight, however.
She reported that by daybreak, the snowmen had met their demise.
A group of galloping bison caused this bridge in the Lamar River Valley to sway in Yellowstone. Link to article and video of the stampede on the roadway here:
https://sports.yahoo.com/bison-stampede-yellowstone-rocks-bridge-182415534.html
Put together something on the Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park. I did a scan of the AASHTO Database, not even the original US Route definitions had anything on the Grand Loop Road. It seems it is conclusive at this point that the only US Route segment ever to exist in Yellowstone National Park is US Route 191 in the Gallatin Mountains:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2021/12/grand-loop-road-of-yellowstone-national.html
Proposal for wildlife crossing on US 26-287 near Dubois.
https://oilcity.news/community/animals/2022/02/07/video-wyoming-game-and-fish-complete-strategy-for-dubois-area-highway-where-wildlife-collisions-cost-791k-per-year/
QuoteThe Wyoming Game and Fish Department has completed a mitigation strategy that aims to reduce vehicle—wildlife collisions on a deadly portion of U.S. Highway 26 near Dubois.
The stretch of U.S. Highway 26 between mileposts 48 and 73 sees an average of 28 vehicle—wildlife crashes per year reported to law enforcement. Game and Fish adds that an average of an additional 131 animal carcasses are removed from that section of the highway each year. ...
Game and Fish released a video on Friday that highlights recommendations included in the mitigation strategy, including recommendations to create a wildlife overpass, underpasses and fencing. ...
Game and Fish said that the mitigation structures it is recommending for the highway "should have a lifespan of at least 75 years and the project should pay for itself within the first 25 years." (based on an annual cost of around $791k from costs related to frequent wildlife-vehicle collisions).
Video link here: https://youtu.be/Z0MDJaqUsH4
Harvesting roadkill now legal in certain circumstances in Wyoming:
https://oilcity.news/community/animals/2022/02/07/cowboy-state-roadkill-harvesting-now-legal-people-can-request-permission-via-wyoming-511-app/
QuoteHarvesting roadkill from some Wyoming roadways became legal in January 2022 and people are now able to collect roadkill if they first obtain authorization from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Game and Fish said on Monday that people are able to request permission to pick up roadkill carcasses using the Wyoming 511 mobile app. That app is available on Android and Apple devices, and Game and Fish said that it is the easiest way for people to request permission to harvest roadkill.
The new roadkill harvesting rules allow people to request permission to collect deer, elk, antelope, moose, wild bison or wild turkey killed during unintentional collisions with vehicles.
There are some roadways, including Interstate 25, I-80 and I-90 in Wyoming, where roadkill harvesting is not allowed due to safety concerns. Roadkill harvesting is also prohibited in active construction areas and within national parks in the state.
In order to harvest roadkill, people need permission from Game and Fish and also need to follow rules such as using emergency flashers when stopping alongside roadways to harvest carcasses. The rules prohibit field dressing on the roadway.
I recall that being a thing in Arizona also. A lot of people I knew around Payson had picked up dead Elk on AZ 260 given the sizable amount of meat that they cut from the road kill.
Process for determining when to close Interstate 80 in Wyoming
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_74dc216c-f0c5-5194-9606-4231b2b7e4bf.html
Quote
Network of observes help keep I80 open – or closed
By Carol Ryczek Laramie Boomerang Via Wyoming News Exchange
Mar 6, 2022
Trucks and campers line the side of a road in Laramie following a closure of Interstate 80. A network of Wyoming Department of Transportation employees, including Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers, is responsible for providing the information the agency uses to decide whether roads should be closed or opened in bad weather.
LARAMIE – Bright red lines across the Wyoming Department of Transportation mobile map quickly tell the story: Interstate 80 is closed.
Again.
The decision to close, and reopen, the interstate that crosses all of southern Wyoming is based on observations of DOT personnel on the interstate, said Doug McGee, spokesman for the DOT District 1 office in Cheyenne.
"I-80 is essentially a 400-mile mountain pass," McGee said. "The highest point on I-80 in the U.S. is the top of Telephone Canyon by the Lincoln memorial. The average elevation of I-80 in Wyoming is about 6,200 feet. You're driving a 400-mile mountain pass with sustained high winds, with sustained low temperatures and all that open prairie is full of snow. High winds can grab old snow, so on a clear day we can still have visibility issues."
Blowing snow, new or old, creates pockets of very limited visibility, he said. But at what point does snow and wind mean the road is closed? Those recommendations come from DOT maintenance crews and members of the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Both groups operate under the DOT.
The state troopers and DOT crews make their observations based on years of road experience, McGee said. They report their recommendations to a supervisor who calls for the road to open or close. Calls are routed to a dispatch center in Cheyenne to share the information.
"We want the roads to stay open," said Ed Leyba, a Laramie maintenance technician who serves as one of the plow drivers making recommendations. "We try not to shut it down. Traffic helps keep the road clean."
Closures are never scheduled based on weather predictions, McGee said, but reflect the conditions on the road at the time. They are based on visibility, severe icing or drifting snow.
"Can the trooper actually see to the end of their hood?" McGee offered as a rhetorical question that helps make the call.
Closures also are based on how well vehicles cope with the conditions. Crashes or vehicles sliding off the road can initiate a closure, not just because they are in the way of traffic, but because they're indicators of what conditions are like.
High winds can mean the interstate is closed for lightweight or high-profile vehicles, McGee said. Semitrailer blow-overs are the most common. but tourists with trailers also may not understand the risk.
"There are days when it blows, 60, 70, 80 miles an hour," he said. "An empty house trailer or camper RV will blow right over. It's really up to the drivers to know their vehicle's capability."
When closures happen, barricades are placed in front of on-ramps or troopers block the entrance to the highway. State troopers also will help travelers find a way to safely get off the highway.
Sharon and Jim Musich of Woodbury, Minnesota, found themselves stranded in Laramie during a closure of I-80 on Wednesday.
The couple was on their way to Salt Lake City and left Cheyenne that morning. They were already on I-80 east of Laramie when they saw a sign that the road had been closed.
"We couldn't turn around. It got worse and worse," Sharon Musich said. "Finally a state patrol (trooper) came by and told us there was a turnaround a quarter of a mile away. We followed a nice truck and got back here."
The couple took a break at the Love's Travel Stop in Laramie to wait out the closure.
"When we left Minnesota we were outrunning a snowstorm, and we made it until we got to here," she said.
She added that their experience with travel in a cold climate meant that they had blankets, emergency rations and heavy clothes with them. They kept their gas tank full and let their family know where they were.
McGee also recommends that travelers download the Wyoming 511 app or map.wyoroad.info. Those mobile resources show the color-coded status of roads. As with stoplights, red lines mean "stop" and green means "go ahead."
On some occasions, drivers will see a warning for a "rolling closure." This means that although part of the route may be safe to travel, if there are closures near cities like Laramie or Rawlins, services like motels, parking and bathrooms may already be at capacity. In that case, the highway may be closed "upstream" from the disruption.
"We want to make sure that drivers have a safe place to wait," McGee said.
McGee said department receives nearly constant feedback to any decision to close or open the interstate or other highways.
"We all answer the phones on a storm day or closure day," he said.
Many of the questions come from out-of-state truckers who are unfamiliar with winter weather conditions and how variable they can be, he said.
"I get it. It's disruptive to commerce. There is a same day/next day delivery culture out there," McGee said. "But we will take a call from someone asking why we closed the road and then the next one will be from someone asking why we didn't close down sooner."
Shawn Chambers, owner of Connections Trucking Services, was one of the out-of-state truckers stranded in Laramie on Wednesday. As he looked ahead to 14-16 hours of closure, he said he made plans to stay in a motel.
The closures do have an impact on his bottom line, he said.
"Rooms, food, gas – everything costs more," he said about having a layover. "Plus, extra fuel to stay warm."
Chambers said he watches the weather closely but when his route takes him west, he has to take I-80.
"It all goes through Laramie," he said.
Between the last snow plow (usually in late March into April) and May 1 each year, Grand Teton National Park offers bicyclists and pedestrians access to certain roads before cars and motor vehicles.
https://wyofile.com/teton-tour%ef%bf%bc/
QuoteEach spring hundreds of cyclists enjoy one of the most scenic road networks in the country without the worry of being hit by a motorized vehicle.
Grand Teton National Park opens the Teton Park Road and Jenny Lake Loop to cyclists, hikers, roller-bladers and other non-motorized travelers for about a month in the spring.
That's when park plow drivers clear about 18 miles of the one- and two-lane thoroughfares of snow in anticipation of their opening for motorized travel. Between the plowing and the May 1 opening to cars and trucks, the routes between Cottonwood Creek and Signal Mountain Lodge are the exclusive precinct of human-powered travel and recreation.
Damaged column at Interstate 80 and US 30 Grand Avenue interchange (Exit 316 in Laramie) is slated for repair in spring and summer 2022.
https://oilcity.news/community/wyoming-community-2/2022/04/15/bridge-repair-work-on-i-80-interchange-near-laramie-to-begin-monday/
QuoteThe bridge column was damaged in a collision with a semi truck in January. Interior lanes next to the damaged column will be closed during the project, so motorists should be prepared for potential delays, especially during peak travel hours such as morning and evening commutes, WYDOT said.
Eastbound exit ramp 316 from I-80 will remain closed for the duration of the repair.
Casper is considering conversion of Durbin and Wolcott one-way streets into two-way.
https://oilcity.news/community/city/2022/03/09/casper-leaders-see-value-in-converting-downtown-one-way-streets-but-40-year-high-inflation-raises-questions-about-how-to-spend-750k/
QuoteConverting Durbin and Wolcott to two-way streets is a concept that Casper Area Metroplitan Planning Organization Supervisor Jeremy Yates said has been recommended by multiple reports over the last 30 years. The idea has again been recommended in a study recently completed by consultants hired by the Casper Area MPO.
Another article discusses funding options, but at this point, the conversion is not funded.
https://oilcity.news/community/city/2022/05/03/casper-still-seeking-money-for-750k-downtown-one-way-street-conversions-with-arpa-unavailable/
Wildlife crossings are planned along US 189 in western Wyoming.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/05/13/wydot-game-and-fish-begin-work-on-15m-wildlife-crossing-project/
QuoteA 17-mile wildlife crossing project in southwestern Wyoming will make a significant difference for mule deer in the region, according to an official with the Muley Fanatic Foundation.
Josh Coursey, president and CEO of the foundation, told Cowboy State Daily he was excited about this week's start of work on the Dry Piney Wildlife Crossing Project near LaBarge.
"It's a very expensive project at $15 million, but it's truly the flavor of the day for how conservation in the 21st century works," Coursey said. "The one thing about overpasses and underpasses, you can quantify their success instantaneously."
The project includes fencing about 17 miles of U.S. Highway 189 and building nine underpasses beneath the highway.
The project should be complete by fall of 2023, Coursey said, but likely, at least a few of the underpasses will be open by the end of the year.
According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, there are an average of 6,000 collisions between vehicles and big game in Wyoming every year, which result in $20 million to $23 million in wildlife losses and $24 million to $29 million in personal injury costs.
Eighty-five percent of the wildlife collisions in the state involve mule deer. Fifteen percent of all Wyoming crashes involve wildlife.
The Dry Piney area is the third "hottest" spot in the state for wildlife collisions, according to MFF.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/05/30/massive-storm-dumps-3-feet-of-snow-in-northwest-wyo-dozens-of-travelers-rescued/
QuoteA major spring snow storm dumped more than 3 feet of snow on northwest Wyoming over the Memorial Day weekend, stranding dozens of travelers on the Chief Joseph Highway.
Dozens of people caught in the storm that closed Wyoming Highway 296, which connects Cody to Cooke City, Montana, and the Beartooth Highway, had to be rescued by Department of Transportation personnel, according to Cody Beers, a department public relations specialist.
"There were vehicles blocked there last night and spun out on the road," Beers told Cowboy State Daily midday Monday. "There's at least two feet of snow up on (Dead Indian Pass) and there was a pretty good line of cars, 10 to 12 cars backed up."
To make matters worse, Beers said a pickup with a camper in the back had spun out, blocking the road for oncoming traffic.
As of late Monday morning, however, Beers said a WYDOT loader had arrived and was clearing the road so vehicles could pass.
"He's been digging a trail down through the road," he said, "and I'm sure he's going to go clear to the bottom and see if there's other people spun out on the switchbacks on the backside of Dead Indian (Pass)."
Additionally, Beers told Cowboy State Daily a power line had come down on the highway due to the heavy, wet snow, creating dangerous sparks. ...
Beers urged people to stay off the highways if possible.
"I'm sure people made the decision to try to get out of (the mountains), and then it only took one vehicle to get stopped, to stop the entire convoy of vehicles coming out," he said.
Chief Joseph was only one of the highways closed due to weather this weekend. Sylvan Pass closed at 6:30 a.m. Monday, cutting off the only access to Yellowstone from the East Gate; U.S Highway 14A was closed from Lovell to Dayton over the Bighorn Mountains, and Beartooth Pass, which was scheduled to open for the season this weekend, remained closed due to the winter storm.
SM-S908U
Concerns with a landslide on US 14 in Dayton....
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/in_brief/article_58497bc8-f3c2-5561-a707-e66beffe0d83.html
QuoteLandslide near Dayton not safety concern, WyDOT says
SHERIDAN (WNE) – A spot being monitored for a potential landslide on U.S. Highway 14 east of Steamboat Point does not pose safety concerns for motorists, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
"We're not concerned about safety," WYDOT Senior Public Relations Specialist Laura Dalles said. "It's something we have been watching for a number of years. Right now, (workers) are up there putting in a potential temporary additional lane, so in the event that the shoulder does slide off, we have a way to divert traffic."
Maintenance crews have been working in the right of way just east of Steamboat Point on the highway above Dayton since May 26.
This work is a preventative measure in the event the roadway gives way to a landslide. WYDOT District 4 maintenance staff and geologists have been watching at mile marker 69.8 for some time.
According to WYDOT geologist James Dahill, landslides are not unique to the stretch of U.S. 14 and happen in other areas of Wyoming. WYDOT began monitoring the site several years ago just below the highway and knew it would move progressively up the terrain toward the highway.
Dahill said the challenge with the Little Tongue River landslide is that US 14 crosses the slide at the waistline, or midpoint, of the slide. This means there is just as much slide-prone material above the road as there is below the roadway. Because of the nature of this geological structure, each year's melting snowpack and yearly erosion results in the weak shale becoming saturated over time.
SM-S908U
Concerns over traffic at a Dairy Queen on Pershing Boulevard in Cheyenne.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/06/06/blizzard-of-chaos-cheyennes-dairy-queen-attracts-customers-and-accidents/
QuoteIt's usually a good thing when business is booming and customers are lined-up to visit. But in Cheyenne, one local fast food restaurant is so busy that ill-will is being served on the menu along with the food.
The problem is the location. The city's sole Dairy Queen is located on one of the most busy streets, Pershing Boulevard.
Once COVID shut the lobby down, it's stayed closed. But it's more popular than ever. And it's all drive-thru traffic.
As a result, cars will line up in the left lane of the two-lane eastbound section of the street leaving just one lane open for travel. ...
Cheyenne resident Kayla Parker told Cowboy State Daily that she is "fed-up" with what she called a parking lot in front of Dairy Queen and now refuses to drive on Pershing Boulevard.
"Guaranteed that someone will get killed there," Parker said. "No one obeys the speed limit, people are flying down Pershing at 70mph and then a bunch of dumbasses are sitting in the middle of the street waiting for their stupid chili cheese dog."
"I've called the police numerous times and get jack squat," she continued. "My advice is for everyone to call the police department and complain." ....
The restaurant is a hot topic on the Cheyenne Rants and Raves Facebook page. Recently, a meme was posted reminding drivers that Pershing Boulevard was a street, not a Dairy Queen parking lot.
The post went viral and featured, like many similar posts, anger, insults, and ad hominem attacks.
SM-S908U
Flooding impacted roads in and around Yellowstone National Park including the northern half of the Grand Loop Road and portions of US 89 and US 212 leading into Montana over the past weekend. Articles follow....
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/06/15/yellowstone-flooding-no-death-only-destruction/
QuoteYellowstone National Park received 2 to 3 inches of rain that fell on approximately 5-1/2 inches of snow. The precipitation and associated warming temperatures melted the snow and caused a major flood event in most of the northern range of Yellowstone, swelling the Yellowstone and Lamar rivers, and all of the associated tributaries, to levels not seen before in the park's recorded history.
"These supercell storm features have hit around this country before," said Bob Smith, Professor of Geophysics and Geology at the University of Utah. "But I have not experienced one that big around Yellowstone, and I've been working there for 65 years." ...
The visible landscape of the northern part of America's first national park is most likely changed forever, as (Yellowstone Superintendent Cam) Sholly noted that U.S. Highway 89 between the Montana communities of Mammoth and Cooke City will likely be rebuilt on a different footprint. ...
Sholly showed photos of destruction throughout the northern part of Yellowstone, pointing out where roads have been completely washed away and where the Yellowstone River has potentially changed its course permanently.
"One section in the intersection between Lamar Valley and Cooke City is another example where the road's been completely washed away," he said, "and so we'll be evaluating whether or not we need to make some roadway realignments."
Much of the damage done to the Park is not visible from the paved highway, Sholly pointed out.
"There are literally hundreds and hundreds of bridges in the back country that we'll need to do evaluations on moving forward," he said. "There is a lot of debris, especially in areas where the rivers ran across the roads and brought down substantial numbers of trees, which will require considerable work."
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/06/16/yellowstone-to-adopt-reservation-system-in-wake-of-floods/
QuoteYellowstone National Park will adopt a reservation or timed entry system to prevent overloading of the park's southern loop while its northern loop remains closed due to damage caused by flooding, according to park Superintendent Cam Sholly. ...
The park was closed and more than 10,000 visitors were removed Monday as torrential rain and melting snow resulted in rivers being swollen to record levels.
The floods washed out portions of the roads in the park's northern half and Sholly had said earlier it is unlikely the road between the Montana communities of Gardiner and Cooke City will be reopened this season. The park's northern loop itself is expected to remain closed for an extended period of time.
Videos and news articles of extensive flooding especially on the northern half of the Grand Loop of Yellowstone National Park plus US 89 and US 212 traveling into Montana:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/16/weather/yellowstone-flood-satellite-before-and-after/index.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/16/yellowstone-flood-satellite-photos-show-devastation.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eThprJY0TQ
Plans are underway to rebuild and reopen critical road segments in northern Yellowstone National Park. Exact timeframe for construction is being developed. Here is an article from the Casper Star Tribune.
https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/yellowstone-national-parks-north-entrance-may-reopen-to-visitors-sometime-this-summer/article_518ea57a-d4ed-5a78-85aa-e48d1bb3cf0c.html
QuoteThe work will be fast-tracked by $50 million in emergency funds from the Federal Highway Administration and the diversion of a construction crew from work near Old Faithful. Instead of repairing the badly damaged old road along the Gardiner River that was gouged out in six places by the river, the workers will build an entirely new route between Gardiner and park headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming. ...
The likely scenario is to build the new road between Gardiner and Mammoth, and at some point reopen the roads between Mammoth and Norris, Mammoth and Tower and over the newly rebuilt Dunraven Pass on to Canyon. Sholly said there would be a "hard stop" at Tower with no traffic allowed into the Lamar Valley and Slough Creek. That is also the route to Cooke City and Silver Gate.
Sholly said he understood the fix would not be perfect, and adjustments could be made along the way to improve the situation. He also stressed the need for town chambers and business people to make sure visitors know about the way to access the southern loop until repairs are completed. ...
On Saturday, the Park Service announced it would begin allowing access through three entrances to the southern half of the park beginning on Wednesday. Under the current plan, cars with license plates ending in even numbers are allowed into the park on even days and cars that have license plates ending in odd numbers are allowed in on odd days. Vanity plates will all be considered odd. People who can prove they have reservations at campsites or hotels will be allowed in on the day of their reservation. If this method does not work, the plan is to go to a reservation system.
What is still uncertain is when the Northeast Entrance near Cooke City and Silver Gate will reopen. The small mountain towns' economies rely on park visitors so residents are concerned that, without access, their summer season may be lost. Sholly said the Park Service is working on a temporary solution for visitation for the northeast side until a permanent fix can be engineered, adding that details would be forthcoming.
Cooke City and Silver Gate residents also rely on the road through the park to Gardiner for access during the winter as it is the only route opened in the park year-round. Three sections of the road were damaged by the flooding. Part of the $50 million in federal highway funds will also go to reconnecting these damaged segments.
Most roads in Yellowstone are reopening on July 2. The north and northeast entrances remain closed for repairs due to flooding.
https://oilcity.news/wyoming/outdoors/2022/06/30/yellowstone-93-of-park-roads-will-be-reopen-to-public-beginning-saturday-after-historic-flooding/
QuoteThe park said in a news release Thursday afternoon that it would reopen its north loop Saturday to all visitors, additionally suspending the temporary alternating license plate system that was put in place to prevent overwhelming the park's south loop when it first reopened June 22 following prior flood-related closures.
A total of 93% of Yellowstone's roads will be open as normal, with access to the park open this weekend through the East Entrance in Cody, the South Entrance in Jackson and the West Entrance in West Yellowstone, Montana.
The North and Northeast Entrance roads, both of which are located in Montana, will remain closed to visitor traffic as park officials and crews work on temporary repairs to areas with severe flood damage. ...
A 23-mile portion of the park's Beartooth Highway on the Wyoming side reopened to visitor vehicles Tuesday with nighttime closures in place.
More on US 212 Beartooth Highway is here: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/220628-2.htm
QuoteAfter repairing damage caused by the recent record-breaking flood event, the Beartooth Highway (US-212), located east of the park's Northeast Entrance between Red Lodge, Montana, and Cooke City, Montana, partially reopened June 28.
This partial reopening includes 23 miles of the Beartooth Highway beginning at the US-212/WY-296 junction to the Beartooth Ski Hill parking lot.
Travelers will need to turn around at the ski hill parking lot due to flood damage on the remainder of the highway.
The towns of Cooke City, Montana, and Silver Gate, Montana, remain open for visitor travel.
Yesterday, Google Maps erroneously rerouted people off Interstate 80 in Wyoming believing the interstate was closed near Rock Springs. Based on a quick test of the app today (July 1), it appears to be fixed.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/06/30/google-maps-is-wrongly-telling-people-interstate-80-is-closed-reroutes-people-to-colorado/
QuoteThe Wyoming Department of Transportation is warning that Google Maps is wrongly telling people that Interstate 80 near Rock Springs is closed and then rerouting the travelers to Colorado, which would add add many hours on to their drive time.
WYDOT spokesman Doug McGee attributed the faulty information to a construction project on I80.
"There's a large and lengthy highway construction project in that area, as much as 25 miles or so," McGee told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. "I think Google's Artificial Intelligence looks at the motion on people's cell phones and because of this, it reads as the road is closed, which it is not."
McGee and fellow WYDOT spokeswoman Jordan Achs both recommended that anyone traveling across Wyoming check WyoRoad.Info, WYDOT's website that has the most up-to-date road conditions across Wyoming.
Google Maps gives some fun detours when I-80 is legitimately closed In WY. Got sent down a two-laner that turned into a two-track once (I had my suspicions, but what the hey -- big accident that had huge delays).
Bunch of vehicles gave it a try before turning around at a ranch. :D
Quote from: andy3175 on July 01, 2022, 09:48:51 AM
Yesterday, Google Maps erroneously rerouted people off Interstate 80 in Wyoming believing the interstate was closed near Rock Springs. Based on a quick test of the app today (July 1), it appears to be fixed.
That happens to me a ton. One time it had me going off the interstate, on some random dirt road for like 20 miles, and back onto the Interstate. Checking the WY traffic website only one lane was closed, so I stayed on. It was fine.
Updates on repairing roads in Yellowstone:
https://wyofile.com/haaland-climate-crisis-resiliency-guide-yellowstone-rebuild%ef%bf%bc/
QuoteEngineers will account for climate change as they design replacement highways along the rivers in and to Yellowstone National Park, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said Friday after touring the flood-damaged reserve.
Haaland, on her fourth visit to the first national park, made her remarks overlooking Old Faithful with Superintendent Cam Sholly. He said temporary roads serving two northern entrances to Yellowstone through Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana would be constructed and paved by the fall.
Their permanent replacement could take three to five years to complete, Sholly said, declining to estimate the cost of what some have said could be a billion-dollar undertaking.
New interchange under construction on Interstate 80 in Rock Springs between US 191 Exit 99 and Business 80 Dewar Drive Exit 102.
https://oilcity.news/community/2022/07/18/i-80-in-rock-springs-to-see-nighttime-closures-for-overhead-sign-work/
QuoteThe project is a partnership between WYDOT, the City of Rock Springs and Sweetwater County to construct a new interchange and reconstruct and expand the interchange from Foothill Boulevard south to Blairtown Road. The overall project is expected to be complete by June 30, 2023. Funding for the work includes $14 million from the federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant. The total project cost is about $30 million.
News release from February 23, 2021:
https://www.dot.state.wy.us/news/work-will-begin-this-year-on-new-interchange
QuoteThe Wyoming Department of Transportation and contract crews from Reiman & High Country Construction will begin preliminary work this spring on the new Interchange (Gookin) bridge, interchange and connector to Blairtown Road in Rock Springs near the Water Reclamation Facility. Crews are mobilizing equipment in the area and could begin work as early as next month.
The Interchange overpass bridge connects the Sunset Drive service road and Foothill Blvd. service road over Interstate 80. The bridge has been closed to traffic since April of 2014 when it was struck by a truck carrying an excavator on the interstate.
WYDOT received a $14 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant to construct a new interchange and reconstruct and expand Interchange Road from Foothill Blvd. south to Blairtown Road. The $14 million grant WYDOT received is part of the $1.5 billion INFRA grant program, which is part of the federal Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act. Although WYDOT will receive $14 million, the total cost of the project is just under $30 million. ...
WYDOT and the City of Rock Springs hope the new project will improve traffic flow and provide a direct connection from Interstate 80 to an intermodal industrial park that provides energy-related services.
The project includes replacing an existing bridge over the interstate to provide a higher vertical clearance, constructing eastbound and westbound ramps with continuous acceleration/deceleration lanes to Dewar Drive and building a new overpass structure over the Union Pacific Railroad for access to the industrial park.
The completion date for this project is set for June 30, 2023.
The space for the interchange appears on Google Maps with the overpass labeled as "Interchange Road. " The existing bridge scheduled for replacement is shown as closed off on the current aerial view and can be seen on GSV.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cgGJ8Wn6NpSR65ME7
Advocacy is underway to expand section of US 212 plowed in winter given the emergency roadway reconstruction underway in Yellowstone, but others want the road kept unplowed during winter.
https://wyofile.com/plow-the-plug-yellowstone-group-seeks-cooperation-for-winter-auto-access/
QuoteA newly formed park access committee hopes to develop a plan to plow an 8-mile section of U.S. Highway 212 traditionally left unplowed for snowmobilers. ...
Citing June's catastrophic floods and the the possibility of being cut off from automobile access to food, medical care and essential supplies this winter, members of the newly formed Park Access Recommendation Committee said they plan to meet sometime in August with public officials in Montana and Wyoming to develop a plan to plow an 8-mile section of U.S. Highway 212 traditionally left unplowed for use by recreational snowmobilers.
PARC members said during their online meeting that if repairs to heavily damaged sections of the Northeast Entrance Road between Cooke City and Gardiner are not completed by winter, U.S. Highway 212 would be the only option for residents to connect by auto to the outside world. They are also looking for additional winter tourism from auto visitors to help make up for an abysmal summer to date. ...
For decades, the National Park Service has plowed the Northeast Entrance Road through the Lamar Valley, connecting Gardiner and nearby park headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs to the remote mountain communities of Silver Gate and Cooke City, which lie just outside the park's Northeast Entrance.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation and Park County have traditionally plowed the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway and a section of U.S. Highway 212 to Pilot Creek, a little more than 4 miles south of the Montana border and just over 8 miles southeast from Cooke City. That has allowed snowmobilers coming from Wyoming to use a parking area at Pilot Creek for parking trucks and trailers, and the 8-mile section of unplowed road to access a network of backcountry trails in the Beartooth Mountains around Cooke City.
The idea of plowing Highway 212 all the way to Cooke City – "plowing the plug" – has come up previously, often cited as a way to increase winter tourism in the region by allowing auto travel from Gardiner to Cody. Proponents say wolf watching, skiing, snowshoeing and ice climbing are Cooke City area activities unavailable to those arriving from the Wyoming side, except by snowmobile.
But the plug has remained unplowed, in part because of the actual or perceived financial, logistical and jurisdictional complications of clearing a remote section of alpine highway that runs through two counties, two national forests and two states.
Snowmobilers have been vocal and persistent in their opposition to plowing, arguing that it would limit some of their trail access and complicate parking, among other issues. Opponents of plowing the plug – mainly snowmobilers and some businesses that rely on them – have also claimed previously that most in the Cooke City area would prefer the highway to remain unplowed.
"Others want to keep the road unplowed" SMH
I could see a good compromise at least initially is to plow it this year and until they're done with the repairs to the NE Entrance Road. That way Cooke City/Silver Gate can see if "plowing the plug" actually causes the claimed effects.
The northeast entrance road to Yellowstone reopened on October 15. The northern entrance road is expected to reopen on November 1.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/10/13/yellowstones-northeast-entrance-to-open-saturday-as-massive-flood-recovery-continues/
QuoteWhen a devastating flood carried away portions of the highway between the North and Northeast entrances to Yellowstone National Park on June 13, Superintendent Cam Sholly was doubtful traffic could resume before the end of the summer tourist season.
But crews have been working diligently since mid-August, and the Northeast entrance is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday, effectively having open 99% of the park's roads.
"If you asked me June 13, when we started seeing these damage reports and we were evacuating the park — and there was no power for 40 hours, and 200,000 gallons of wastewater was dumping in the Gardiner River — if you asked me at that point would we be standing here today, four months later, having the conversation that we're having and seeing the repairs done that we're seeing, I would say that was probably not feasible," Sholly told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. ...
With the Nov. 1 anticipated opening of the Old Gardiner Road, a former stagecoach trail that has been rebuilt to handle major traffic, Sholly said residents will not be cut off this winter. Paving is being completed over the entire 4-mile road and more than 5,000 feet of guardrail is being installed.
"I was on (the Old Gardiner Road) this morning. It's looking terrific," said Sholly. "I think the public's going to be incredibly impressed when they're on that road. But we've got a long way to go for the permanent kind of repairs that need to be done in both corridors."
Sholly said officials are considering several possibilities for permanent repairs to the highway between Cooke City and Gardiner. ...
Sholly said construction will continue even after the road is opened to traffic, but travelers can expect only minor delays.
"You'll see traffic on Saturday morning at 8 traveling this road, but that doesn't mean the construction and the repairs are over," he said. "There's still a lot of work to do, still a lot of cleanup."
Quote from: andy3175 on October 17, 2022, 11:35:50 AM
The northeast entrance road to Yellowstone reopened on October 15. The northern entrance road is expected to reopen on November 1.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/10/13/yellowstones-northeast-entrance-to-open-saturday-as-massive-flood-recovery-continues/
QuoteWhen a devastating flood carried away portions of the highway between the North and Northeast entrances to Yellowstone National Park on June 13, Superintendent Cam Sholly was doubtful traffic could resume before the end of the summer tourist season.
But crews have been working diligently since mid-August, and the Northeast entrance is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday, effectively having open 99% of the park's roads.
"If you asked me June 13, when we started seeing these damage reports and we were evacuating the park — and there was no power for 40 hours, and 200,000 gallons of wastewater was dumping in the Gardiner River — if you asked me at that point would we be standing here today, four months later, having the conversation that we're having and seeing the repairs done that we're seeing, I would say that was probably not feasible," Sholly told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. ...
With the Nov. 1 anticipated opening of the Old Gardiner Road, a former stagecoach trail that has been rebuilt to handle major traffic, Sholly said residents will not be cut off this winter. Paving is being completed over the entire 4-mile road and more than 5,000 feet of guardrail is being installed.
"I was on (the Old Gardiner Road) this morning. It's looking terrific," said Sholly. "I think the public's going to be incredibly impressed when they're on that road. But we've got a long way to go for the permanent kind of repairs that need to be done in both corridors."
Sholly said officials are considering several possibilities for permanent repairs to the highway between Cooke City and Gardiner. ...
Sholly said construction will continue even after the road is opened to traffic, but travelers can expect only minor delays.
"You'll see traffic on Saturday morning at 8 traveling this road, but that doesn't mean the construction and the repairs are over," he said. "There's still a lot of work to do, still a lot of cleanup."
Hello hello wait a moment... so we get to drive old US 89 now? 🤔
Quote from: Alps on October 18, 2022, 08:10:54 PM
Hello hello wait a moment... so we get to drive old US 89 now?
Not quite. Old Gardiner Road is from Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner, MT, within the park. It's Old Yellowstone trail north of Gardiner that's old US 89.
Like many states across the West, this has been a difficult winter in Wyoming, with copious snowfall and strong winds. A column by Bill Sniffin articulates the challenges this has created in traveling across the state:
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/03/04/bill-sniffin-welcome-to-siberia-wyomings-winter-body-count-has-been-high/
QuoteIf you made a movie about this year’s Wyoming winter, it would have to be a survival story.
There have been so many great rescue stories but also some awful accident stories. The worst was the deaths of five high school kids on Interstate 80 east of Rawlins. Another horrible death was when a semitruck collided with an ambulance killing a young man who left behind his wife and three kids.
The body count has been extraordinary with at least four wrecks each killing a pair of siblings. I just cannot imagine the devastating level of grief these events have caused.
Also, that multiple vehicle accident on Interstate 80 in early winter killed one but caused countless numbers of injuries and a staggering amount of damage.
One of the feel-good stories this winter was how the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) lined up convoys of buses full of high school athletes and had them trail behind snowplows to sites where state basketball and wrestling tournaments were being held. These kids and their parents and coaches will never forget this winter! ...
One of the great new innovations is electronic signboards that stretch all the way along the interstate highways. This way, a truck driver coming across Utah can find out that Wyoming is closed and it gives him or her time to veer south and take Interstate 70 and even way south (away from the snow) to Interstate 40.
That long detour is still better than spending a week in a truckers’ lounge in Evanston, Rock Springs, or Cheyenne.
WYDOT may have set a record recently when four snowplows and a wrecker were all stranded in Carbon County in the 48 inches of fresh snow.
On South Pass this past week, more than $9,000 in fines were levied on drivers who chose to drive around the highway closed signs. That might be a record, too. ...
Up in Buffalo, Jim Hicks writes: “Last week was just one more chapter in the growing stories about the winter of 2022-23. Interstate highway closures are setting records on one particular day when someone in the Highway Department announced ‘you can’t get to Wyoming today . . . all roads are closed.’
“At times it appeared Buffalo has become the parking lot for most of the long-haul semitrucks in the western part of the country. Sometimes the weather has been ‘decent’ here while Interstate 25 south to Casper has remained closed.
“Anyone who had driven the highway in the Midwest area can see why that would happen. All that is required is a strong wind to start another ground blizzard. And this winter has been a hard one for local ranches, especially for early calving or lambing.”
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/11/29/bill-sniffin-terrifying-tales-of-treacherous-driving-on-interstate-80-in-the-winter-time/
QuoteTo Wyoming drivers, this is the time of year when holy terror describes our feelings when sandwiched between giant semi-trailer trucks barreling down Interstate 80 in blinding snowstorms.
Every resident of the Cowboy State has their own terrifying stories of close calls and miraculous trips going down an area dubbed the Snow Chi Minh Trail. ...
(David Cuarezma) ... was a trucker who happened to keep his cool and shot a video of that infamous May 3, 2020, horrific crash on Interstate 80 that killed four and injured 30 near Wamsutter.
He posted on Facebook that his video had 500,000 views and 80,000 shares. He called Interstate 80 “the most dangerous road in the United States.”
Most drivers experience their worst winter traffic nightmares on Interstate 80 in an area from Elk Mountain to Laramie.
Yet, this biggest crash in recent years occurred on a lonely desert section of road near Creston Junction.
This barren lonely stretch of highway includes a small population of oilfield folks, who populate the nearby town of Wamsutter. It is a home of man camps and trailer villages. It can be a brutal place in winter with unrelenting wind, icy roads, never-ending traffic, and the desolate feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.
Into this fray hundreds of big trucks and dozens of cars and pickups found themselves driving too fast and slamming into a huge string of vehicles that had crashed ahead of them.
It must have been horrible for the victims to know that it would be a long time before highway patrolmen, EMTs, and wreckers could get to them, when you are located so far out in the Big Empty in such terrible weather conditions.
Trying to get somewhere as fast as possible sounds familiar to me. In my life, it seems like I always needed to be somewhere at a specific time. Wyoming’s roads and winter weather rarely cooperated with my schedules. Today, I am able to monitor the weather and the roads and leave a day early or perhaps even re-schedule.
Most of those folks involved in that 2020 crash were on deadlines. They rolled the dice and took the chance that they could get through those awful conditions and say a prayer afterward for their good luck. But this was not to be their lucky day.
The video of that crash scene and after viewing it, you again ask yourself why you would put yourself into harm’s way by driving a car or a pickup amongst all those gigantic trucks? What chance has a 5,000-pound car have when colliding with a 70,000-pound truck? In that video, some good Samaritans were trying to get a person out of a small black car that was unrecognizable, smashed so much in the front and in the rear. Truly a scary thing to see.
According to this article, GPS did not do some drivers many favors when it supposedly routed some drivers onto dirt roads during winter driving conditions when Interstate 80 was closed across the Red Desert (between Rock Springs and Rawlins):
https://oilcity.news/community/weather/2023/01/16/gps-strands-over-a-dozen-vehicles-seeking-alternate-route-on-red-desert-tundra
QuoteROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – Amidst an "onslaught" of calls for crashes and stranded motorists during a road-closing winter storm last December, the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office noticed a theme: Travelers were being led to no-man's-land by GPS.
Over a dozen vehicles ended up stranded on Bar X Road in blizzard-like conditions on Dec. 13, SCSO Deputy Jason Mower told Oil City News. Some had been unable to call for help and were only found while rescuers were on the way to someone else.
Most of the motorists were new to the area or from out of town; all had been directed onto the seasonally unmaintained county road by GPS navigation systems that suggested it as an alternate route after Interstate 80 was closed due to winter conditions.
WyDOT and the City of Casper are considering ways to address the "skewed" intersection between WYO 220 CY Avenue and Poplar Avenue. "Skewed" intersections appear to be those intersections where the intersecting roads do not meet at right angles. WY 220 approaches this intersection from the southwest.
https://oilcity.news/community/city/2023/01/24/state-engineer-talks-ways-to-reduce-crashes-at-skewed-cy-poplar-intersection-with-casper-city-council/
Quotethe Casper City Council heard a presentation from Wyoming Department of Transportation staff about safety at the intersection of CY Avenue and Poplar Street. CY Avenue is part of Wyoming Highway 220 and is therefore part of WYDOT's jurisdiction.
Over the past six years, the intersection has seen a total of 104 crashes, eight of which resulted in injury, State Traffic Engineer Joel Meena told the City Council during the work session at Casper City Hall.
The total number of crashes at CY and Poplar is more than at comparable intersections in Casper, though Meena noted that there have been no fatalities reported among the crashes at that intersection in the past six years. WYDOT reviewed those six years of data after Casper Mayor Bruce Knell reached out to the agency a few months ago expressing concerns about the intersection.
First and Poplar has seen 70 total crashes in the past six years, including one fatal crash and 13 with injuries. CY Avenue and Poplar has seen 82 total crashes, including 27 with injuries. None of the crashes were fatal.
The fact that CY and Poplar is a skewed intersection where the streets don't cross at a 90-degree angle is likely a major factor in the number of crashes seen at the intersection, Meena told the City Council.
WYDOT conducted a significant reconstruction effort at CY and Poplar in 2015, according to a memo from city staff. The agency is planning some further steps in hopes to further reduce crashes, Meena said Tuesday.
Possibilities include adding striping, particularly "skip dash" striping to demarcate dual left lanes at the intersection. The signals along the Wyoming Highway 220 corridor will also be recounted and retimed in summer 2023.
Meena added that something the city could consider is extending the southbound outside through lane to give people more time to merge when Poplar narrows to become a single lane heading toward Casper Mountain.
In January, WyDOT held a public meeting to discuss bridge improvements to Interstate 25 (and US 20-26-87) where it crosses the North Platte River.
https://oilcity.news/community/2023/01/24/wydot-hosting-i-25-casper-marginal-bridge-reconstruction-project-public-open-house-jan-26/
Quotehe Wyoming Department of Transportation will host a public open house from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 at the WYDOT Casper office, 900 Bryan Stock Trail, to discuss an upcoming project replacing four Interstate 25 bridges and the F Street bridge over the North Platte River.
The project is set to begin this construction season and will replace the aging structures, three over the North Platte River and two over Center Street. The project includes new road surfacing between the interstate structures along with landscaping, lighting and intersection upgrades, a news release states.
The project covers 0.97 miles and is expected to take two years to complete. WYDOT has programmed $50 million for the project; however, a true cost won't be known until the project has been let to contract.
This construction project is the third phase of four phases rehabilitating I-25 through Casper. Once this phase is completed, the final phase will tie all of the previous work together with new pavement between the Walsh Drive bridge and Center Street as well as the addition of weave lanes between Bryan Stock Trail and Center Street.
Plans call for a large truck parking area in Evanston to accommodate the numerous trucks that are forced to wait there while Interstate 80 is closed for winter weather concerns. There has been some concerns about the need, Utah's role in stopping trucks from coming into Wyoming, and the location of the parking lot. It is not clear from the article when this parking lot will be complete or its exact location in Evanston. My guess would be at the east end of town near the welcome center, but it could also be west of town near the port of entry.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/12/21/mayor-evanston-needs-giant-semi-lot-because-utah-wont-close-i-80-during-storms/
QuotePlans by the Wyoming Department of Transportation to spend $33.3 million to build 365 new parking spaces... With Evanston located so close to the state border with Utah, Williams said the biggest problem the city faces is Utah's unwillingness to help mitigate congestion in Wyoming by closing I-80 on its side during severe winter storms.
"If Utah was willing to shut down I-80 on their end, that would be a huge help, but they have never been willing to shut it down," (Evanston Mayor Kent) Williams said. "So what happens is the trucks keep driving and they don't know that the road is closed up ahead. Then they are forced to get off in Evanston."
Utah Department of Transportation spokesperson Mitchell Shaw however, told Cowboy State Daily that state does not close its roads except for in extreme cases because it's their job to keep motorists moving.
"Our philosophy is to keep the roads open for the public to travel on," Shaw said. "We don't close our roads unless it is an unusual circumstance."
That doesn't help Evanston with more than 250 trucks crossing the state line into Wyoming every day, said Uinta County Commissioner Chairman Mark Anderson. The buildup of trucks within the city limits can get so bad it prevents locals from even being able to drive on the main streets. Trucks are parked everywhere – from side roads to turning lanes. That means those newcomers on the council who don't want Evanston to become a "parking lot" are off, because it already becomes that when I-80 closes.
"We know that our economy is funded in a large part by I-80 and the people who stop here to shop," Williams said. "That includes truckers. We don't want the truckers thinking that we don't want them here. We just need some relief during the winter. The truckers also don't like it. They don't like not having a place to park and being able to get food and showers when they need them."
Williams and Anderson both said WYDOT has been working with Evanston and Uinta County for years to find a solution to the traffic congestion. "We have been working on this issue with WYDOT for years," Anderson said. "They have been so good to include us in the conversations and to discuss our needs. The issue wasn't ever about not working with us, we had decided this a long time ago but there was a funding issue. So, when they announced the other day they had received that grant to put in the parking spaces, we were elated."
https://oilcity.news/community/wyoming-community-2/2023/12/13/wydot-awarded-federal-grant-for-hundreds-of-new-truck-parking-spaces-in-evanston/
QuoteThe Wyoming Department of Transportation has been awarded a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build hundreds of new semitruck parking spaces in southwest Wyoming.
WYDOT will receive more than $26.6 million through the 2023–24 federal Rural Surface Transportation Grant, which will be used to build about 365 truck parking spaces along Interstate 80 in Evanston, WYDOT said in a news release.
"This is a crucial project for Wyoming. It's an investment in our road infrastructure that will help address pedestrian and vehicle safety hazards that occur when winter weather forces the closure of I-80," Gov. Mark Gordon said. "Importantly, it will alleviate the impacts to the community caused by hundreds of tractor trailers seeking somewhere safe to park."
Due to its proximity to the state border, Evanston can be inundated with commercial vehicles and other traffic during a long-duration closure of Interstate 80, which can strain local resources, street parking and other infrastructure.
"Truck parking continues to be one of the highest priorities for both truck drivers and motor carriers," said Sheila Foertsch, President and CEO of the Wyoming Trucking Association. "Safe, well lit, accessible parking makes the nation's highway system safer." ...
The Wyoming Association of General Contractors, Wyoming Trucking Association, City of Evanston, Uinta County and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis also formally and publicly expressed their support for the project. Parking area construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 depending on design timing, project letting schedule and other potential scheduling considerations. The total project cost is approximately $33.3 million.
Earlier this year, the 98-year old Winchester Bridge was sold by Washakie County to a rancher. It was transported 40 miles from Washakie County Road 86 at Cottonwood Creek to the Galloway Ranch after being sold for $1100.
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Washakie-bridge-moving-1-6.2.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/06/04/wyoming-rancher-buys-giant-100-year-old-bridge-hauls-it-40-miles-to-ranch/
QuoteWashakie County drivers had to make way for a 25-foot-wide bridge the (last week of May 2023) that was on its way from Cottonwood Creek south of Worland to the Galloway Ranch north of Ten Sleep. The historic Winchester Bridge, which is nearly 100 years old, was recently sold to the ranch by Washakie County, and the 90-by-25-foot structure was hauled 40 miles to its new home north of Ten Sleep on Tuesday.
"They'll use it for moving livestock and moving vehicles back and forth," said Cody Beers with the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
The bridge was deemed unsafe for public travel in a recent WYDOT inspection, but rather than haul it off to the scrapyard, county commissioners chose to sell it to the highest bidder. ... Despite its bargain price, the county considered the sale a better option than either donating the bridge to the Washakie County Museum (which would have cost the county around $86,000, since the lead paint on it would need to be scraped off first) or taking it to a foundry to be disposed of, which would cost around $29,000. ... (T)he determination to replace the bridge in the southern part of Washakie County was part of the federal Bridge Replacement Off System designed to reduce the number of deficient bridges in the United States.
And Beers said the new bridge spanning Cottonwood Creek on Washakie County Road 86 is being built now. "The contractor has placed the corrugated steel stay-in-place concrete forms for the future bridge deck," said Beers. "Tying of bridge deck steel is still to happen, and concrete pours are scheduled in June." County Road 86 is closed to through traffic while CC&G Construction out of Lander completes the $1.75 million project, which (Uinta County Commission Chairman Mark) Anderson said would be paid primarily through federal funding.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/06/07/100-year-old-80-000-pound-iron-bridge-finds-new-home-on-wyoming-ranch/
QuoteKeith and Laura Galloway were in the market for a bridge, an unusual item to be found on anyone's shopping list, but for the Galloways, it wasn't a wish list. They needed it. The couple, who with their sons own and operate Galloway Ranch 2 miles north of Ten Sleep in north-central Wyoming, needed a way to connect their land with their son's property across the river. "Our youngest boy, Ethan, has to go through town multiple times a day because he drives over here to work and back, and then we trail cows, and we have semis that are going through town all the time," Laura told Cowboy State Daily. "It's 5 miles around. But if we have a bridge, it's a quarter mile."
So they were pleasantly surprised when they saw Washakie County had advertised a 90-by-25-foot bridge for sale in the classified section of their local newspaper. The historic Winchester Bridge, which had been perched over Cottonwood Creek since 1925, had recently been decommissioned and county commissioners were looking for an inexpensive way to dispose of it. "The bridge was actually put up for bid in the newspaper, and we thought, 'Well, what the heck?'" said Laura. "The guys went and looked at it and said, 'Yeah, go for it.' It's plenty long, and it's wide enough to get all of our machinery, and big enough and strong enough to hold semitrucks loaded with hay or silage, and so we just put a bid in on it and happened to win the bid."
The Galloways contacted Swing Trucking, a transportation company out of Worland, to do the heavy lifting. "Swing Trucking does a lot of that stuff, and he's really good at it," said Laura, speaking of Danny Bertsch, whose grandfather started the company in 1949. The big rigs arrived at the Winchester Bridge's old location over Cottonwood Creek 13 miles south of Worland on May 30. "He went down and loaded it," she said. "It was him, and then they had, I think, two trucks and a crane, and then the three pilot cars that brought the whole train of stuff over here."
Bertsch told Cowboy State Daily the bridge weighs about 80,000 pounds, or roughly 40 tons. But he pointed out that his company is outfitted for those kinds of jobs.
CY Avenue, which in part carries Wyoming Highway 220 into Casper, has an interesting past. This article provides some of the history of this road, which provides access into Casper from the south and southwest.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/12/17/caspers-cy-avenue-began-as-a-cattle-trail-connecting-region-to-the-railroad/
QuoteLocals in this central Wyoming city know a newbie when he pronounces the name of one of its main thoroughfares as "Sigh" Avenue, even though it's spelled CY, both capitalized. It's just how it's presented on the street sign: C (see) Y (why) Avenue. A little less cut-and-dry is why is the road called CY Avenue.
Fort Caspar Museum Director Rick Young said the answer goes back to the cattle baron days and the CY Ranch owned by Wyoming's Joseph Carey family. The road was the CY Ranch stock trail that led to the railroad," he said. "That's how I understand it." Back in in the 1930s when Fort Caspar was undergoing perseveration efforts, the CY Ranch granted access to it "across their hayfield which is now 13th Street," Young said.
The CY Ranch was a big deal back when Wyoming became a territory. It was owned by Carey and two brothers who, historical accounts say, brought 12,000 head of cattle to the region from Texas after President Grant appointed Carey as U.S. attorney for the region. Tom Rea, editor of WyoHistory.org, said the CY Ranch was one of the major players in the region's cattle industry, covering vast swaths of land from Douglas to Casper and north to Johnson County. Rea said through homesteading and — more importantly — water rights, ranches such as the CY wielded a lot of power "and so controlled grazing across huge regions." ...
Local history buff Bob King has researched the origin of street designations and said the ranch headquarters was located close to where Linwood Place and Bellaire Drive come together near Cottonwood Elementary School on the west side of Casper. The cattle path from the headquarters left its mark. "It was just a trail, and when it hit 9th Street it just became 9th Street," he said. As for why it's called CY Avenue, King believes its for the first and last letters of the Carey name. The path that is now CY Avenue starts from the center of Casper at 9th Street and Ash and runs through the southwest side of the city becoming Highway 220 as it moves out toward Alcova.
Wildlife crossings are becoming more common along U.S. 189 between Interstate 80 and Kemmerer. A federal grant will help fund a portion of the costs.
https://oilcity.news/wyoming/2023/12/17/wyoming-wildlife-crossing-success-nets-millions-for-new-project/
(https://i0.wp.com/oilcity.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Gocke-pronghorn-overpass.webp?w=1200&ssl=1)
Pronghorn cross a highway near Pinedale using an overpass similar to one that will be built farther south near Kemmerer. (Mark Gocke/Wyoming Game and Fish Dept.)
(https://i0.wp.com/oilcity.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Hwy189_WVC_10July2023-scaled-1.webp?w=768&ssl=1)
QuoteWyoming's track record helped secure the largest federal grant in a new program that will see mule deer and pronghorn wildlife-crossings built along a 30-mile stretch of Highway 189 south of Kemmerer.
The $24.3 million federal grant to Wyoming was the largest made from the U.S. Department of Transportation's first tranche of $109 million for a novel Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. Wyoming will use the money to fund the bulk of the $37 million construction project that will involve fencing 30 miles of the highway, building six or so new underpasses and a wildlife bridge for skittish antelope that won't go through a tunnel.
About 80 deer or antelope are killed in collisions along the stretch annually, state agencies calculate. The average big-game collision costs $11,600 in injury and property damage, Wyoming Game and Fish Department estimates. ...
Wyoming identified crossing locations using years of radio-collar data, Bruce said. Tunnels and wildlife overpasses are also placed with an eye toward whether they might alter natural behavior and what impact they might have on private property. Traffic analysts expect the highway between Interstate 80 and Kemmerer will become busier with the proposed construction of a nuclear plant in that town. Altogether the government received 67 applications from 34 states requesting $549 million from the program. Seventeen states received money for a total of 19 projects. WYDOT will contribute $4.2 million to the project and other state agencies will put in $8.8 million. Bids will be let in 2024 for what's expected to be two to three years of construction.
A bridge replacement project over the Snake River near Jackson is underway in Teton County.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/11/13/jacksons-iconic-swinging-bridge-will-be-ripped-out-to-make-way-for-new-span/
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Swinging-Bridge-11.13.23.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
QuoteAn iconic single-lane bridge spanning the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming, is being removed as has begun to build a new and improved bridge in the same spot within two years. Swinging Bridge Road, aka Teton County Road 22-10, has been closed since Oct. 23 in anticipation of the bridge's removal. That happens this week when contractor Reiman Corp. starts removing the timber deck running between the metal trusses.
Bob Hammond, resident engineer in Jackson for the Wyoming Department of Transportation, said the entire Swinging Bridge should be removed by early December. "The schedule for the construction of the new bridge will last until June 2025," he told Cowboy State Daily. "But with the new bridge going roughly in the same place, removing the old bridge is the first thing that has to happen."
The existing Swinging Bridge, a single-lane structure in place since 1960, has never swung. The name comes from an actual swinging bridge, the first to cross that section of the Snake River, built in 1938. When the Wilson River Bridge was replaced in 1959, three of its five trusses were moved and placed onto concrete pillars and opened as the new Swinging Bridge. The original Wilson River Bridge opened in 1915, making the metal trusses more than 108 years old.
Hammond said the bridge was still structurally safe, but due for an upgrade. That's why Teton County approached WYDOT about a replacement. "This is a recycled bridge that was repurposed," he said. "It's seen its useful lifecycle and probably a little bit beyond that."
Local history buffs don't need to be alarmed by the removal of Swinging Bridge. Hammond said the contractor will use crane platforms to remove its trusses intact and haul them to a nearby storage area. "(Teton) County will take possession of it from that point," he said. "They'll decide what to do with the bridge through their feasibility study."
Most of the money for the new Swinging Bridge comes from WYDOT's Bridge Replacement Off System (BROS) program. BROS allocates funds to replace or refurbish bridges owned by Wyoming cities, towns and counties located on roads that don't receive federal aid. "WYDOT helps counties replace bridges that are in need," said WYDOT District Public Relations Specialist Stephanie Harsha. "It's a county bridge, but WYDOT is overseeing the project."
Harsha said Teton County approached WYDOT because the single-lane Swinging Bridge was no longer suitable for the area's traffic and a growing number of homes on that side of the Snake River. But the current bridge has close so the new bridge can be built. Hammond said WYDOT will cover 90% of the $10.3 million project, with Teton County picking up the remaining 10%. Once finished, the county will be responsible for the bridge's maintenance and upkeep.
That means for about 18 months or so there won't be a way across the river at that point. The community on the far side of the Snake River is still accessible south of the bridge on Henry's Road, Teton County Road 22-45, which intersects U.S. Highway 26/89/189/191.
Hammond said the new bridge will have two lanes and a separate pedestrian pathway in addition to an improved design. The large concrete pillars supporting the Swinging Bridge trusses also will be removed.
A roadway extension is proposed for Westwinds Road between Bar Nunn and the Natrona County International Airport with multiple possible routing options. This could provide an alternate route to the airport and U.S. 20-26 from Interstate 25 Exit 194, which was constructed as an interchange in the 2010s. Westwinds Road would bypass Casper to the north and avoid the congested area around Exit 189 (Junction U.S. 20-26 Bypass)
https://oilcity.news/government/2023/11/06/casper-invites-public-comment-on-westwinds-road-land-use-study/
(https://i0.wp.com/oilcity.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-06-at-3.11.20%E2%80%AFPM.png?resize=1200%2C984&ssl=1)
QuoteThe Casper Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking public input on the Westwinds Road Land Use and Extension Study, an infrastructure project that could impact transportation in the area. The preliminary design envisions the creation of a new road section connecting Westwinds Road in Bar Nunn to Six-Mile Road near the Natrona County International Airport. This proposed 5-mile road expansion presents two alternatives:
1. At-Grade Crossing: One option involves constructing the road with an at-grade crossing at a rail line.
2. Grade Separated: The second alternative proposes a grade-separated road, enhancing traffic flow and safety.
Whichever option is chosen, the road's construction will include a base capable of supporting heavy trucks, ensuring efficient transport for commercial purposes. Additionally, the road will feature wide shoulders, providing space for cyclists.
Another location of heavy wildlife activity this past year was along Wyoming Highway 120 between Thermopolis and Cody via Meeteetse.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/10/17/elk-massacre-when-pickup-plows-into-herd-near-meeteetse/
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Elk-Massacre-1-10.17.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Elk-Massacre-3-10.17.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Elk-Massacre-4-10.17.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
QuoteThe stretch of Wyoming Highway 120 near Meeteetse where an "elk massacre" happened when a pickup plowed into a herd is known to be treacherous for drivers and wild animals. "There ain't no one isolated spot (where animals cross the highway). It's kind of bad all through that entire area," Lyle Lamb, Wyoming Department of Transportation District 5 maintenance engineer, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
At least four elk were killed at about 7 a.m. Sunday on the Cody side of the Burlington Road intersection with Highway 120 when a heavy-duty Ram pickup plowed into a herd that was crossing the road, he said. There might have been as many as seven elk killed, but the truck's driver was uninjured, Lamb said. The pickup, which was either a ¾-ton or 1-ton model, was likely totaled. "There were at least four dead elk that I saw them drag off the road. I think Game and Fish might have had to euthanize some more that were injured," Lamb said. He added that he didn't know the exact details of the accident, but apparently the driver was in a situation where the collision was all but unavoidable. "He came around a corner where there were guardrails on both sides, and the elk were there — from guardrail to guardrail — so there has no chance of missing them," Lamb said.
There has been some talk of a wildlife crossing or crossings there, but for now it's not on the short list for such projects, he added. WYDOT, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other agencies and cooperators have several new or ongoing wildlife crossing projects across Wyoming, Lamb said. Most recently, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $15 million Dry Piney Wildlife Crossing, a series of underpasses between La Barge and Big Piney (along U.S. Highway 189).
This article is fun to share if for no other reason a good look at a 2019 edition Interstate 80 Wyoming shield with bags of marijuana in the background. I also can't imagine driving Wyoming's highways at 160 mph, but it seems it's been done before!
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/10/16/pair-in-stolen-charger-run-from-cops-at-160-mph-with-70-pounds-of-pot/
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Big-pot-bust-10.16.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
QuoteA Baltimore, Maryland, man has until January to argue that he didn't steal a Dodge Charger and rush 70 pounds of marijuana into Wyoming at more than 160 mph.
Brian Battick, 21, is set for a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing in Evanston Circuit Court, where he can argue that authorities didn't have probable cause to arrest him when they chased him into Wyoming from Utah on Interstate 80 earlier this month. Meanwhile, Battick's co-defendant Vernon Laws, who is 20 this year, waived his preliminary hearing Friday and is being prosecuted in the felony-level Uinta County District Court.
It started as a high-speed chase in Utah. At 10:13 p.m. Oct. 5, Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Kyle Coudriet learned from dispatch that Summit County, Utah, authorities had lost sight of a red Dodge Charger on I-80, heading east into Wyoming.
Coudriet sat in the median with his rear-facing radar activated. By 10:38 p.m., a red Dodge Charger hurtled past at 87 mph, according to Coudriet's evidentiary affidavit filed in the case. Coudriet tried to make a traffic stop, but the Charger shot forward, swerving all over the road and bumbling through sharp curves between other vehicles, says the affidavit. Uinta County Sheriff's deputies laid spike strips at mile marker 18. The Charger crossed over them and its front passenger tire deflated.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol would later report that the Charger exceeded 160 mph (mph on all references) during the chase.
When deputies caught up to the vehicle after 11 p.m., it had crashed into a ditch about five mile markers from its second spike strip, says the affidavit. After the crash, Battick and Laws fled on foot. The affidavit says the agents ran down one of the men, whom they identified by his Maryland driver's license as Laws. But the second suspect got away.
One of the troopers found a driver's license left behind in the Charger belonging to Battick. Laws confirmed that Battick was the other person in the Charger, according to the affidavit. Coudriet and another trooper followed it there and searched it, where they found the driver's seat belt was still buckled. A small white plastic bag with a green, plant-like substance sat in front of the passenger seat, says the affidavit.
They popped the trunk, and there they found 59 clear, vacuum-sealed bags and two cold cans containing 68.8 pounds of what later tested positive as marijuana, the affidavit claims.
Quote from: andy3175 on December 23, 2023, 11:55:09 PM
This article is fun to share if for no other reason a good look at a 2019 edition Interstate 80 Wyoming shield with bags of marijuana in the background. I also can't imagine driving Wyoming's highways at 160 mph, but it seems it's been done before!
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/10/16/pair-in-stolen-charger-run-from-cops-at-160-mph-with-70-pounds-of-pot/
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/Big-pot-bust-10.16.23.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
QuoteA Baltimore, Maryland, man has until January to argue that he didn't steal a Dodge Charger and rush 70 pounds of marijuana into Wyoming at more than 160 mph.
Brian Battick, 21, is set for a Jan. 11 preliminary hearing in Evanston Circuit Court, where he can argue that authorities didn't have probable cause to arrest him when they chased him into Wyoming from Utah on Interstate 80 earlier this month. Meanwhile, Battick's co-defendant Vernon Laws, who is 20 this year, waived his preliminary hearing Friday and is being prosecuted in the felony-level Uinta County District Court.
It started as a high-speed chase in Utah. At 10:13 p.m. Oct. 5, Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Kyle Coudriet learned from dispatch that Summit County, Utah, authorities had lost sight of a red Dodge Charger on I-80, heading east into Wyoming.
Coudriet sat in the median with his rear-facing radar activated. By 10:38 p.m., a red Dodge Charger hurtled past at 87 mph, according to Coudriet's evidentiary affidavit filed in the case. Coudriet tried to make a traffic stop, but the Charger shot forward, swerving all over the road and bumbling through sharp curves between other vehicles, says the affidavit. Uinta County Sheriff's deputies laid spike strips at mile marker 18. The Charger crossed over them and its front passenger tire deflated.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol would later report that the Charger exceeded 160 mph (mph on all references) during the chase.
When deputies caught up to the vehicle after 11 p.m., it had crashed into a ditch about five mile markers from its second spike strip, says the affidavit. After the crash, Battick and Laws fled on foot. The affidavit says the agents ran down one of the men, whom they identified by his Maryland driver's license as Laws. But the second suspect got away.
One of the troopers found a driver's license left behind in the Charger belonging to Battick. Laws confirmed that Battick was the other person in the Charger, according to the affidavit. Coudriet and another trooper followed it there and searched it, where they found the driver's seat belt was still buckled. A small white plastic bag with a green, plant-like substance sat in front of the passenger seat, says the affidavit.
They popped the trunk, and there they found 59 clear, vacuum-sealed bags and two cold cans containing 68.8 pounds of what later tested positive as marijuana, the affidavit claims.
The dumb thing is this haul would be perfectly legal about 100 miles away as the crow flies.
Quote from: andy3175 on December 23, 2023, 10:44:17 PM
Earlier this year, the 98-year old Winchester Bridge was sold by Washakie County to a rancher. It was transported 40 miles from Washakie County Road 86 at Cottonwood Creek to the Galloway Ranch after being sold for $1100.
I think this (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8626793,-108.1535697,3a,75y,330.01h,73.57t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s7iKqEwEWPUyIlT_kcbmiUg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D7iKqEwEWPUyIlT_kcbmiUg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D49.664795%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&entry=ttu) is it.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/09/16/bill-sniffin-wyomings-love-hate-relationship-with-interstate-80/
(https://cowboystatedaily.imgix.net/highway-to-heaven-10-6-22-scaled.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=clip&w=3840)
Columnist Bill Sniffin asks whether Interstate 80 is the Highway to Heaven or the Highway to Hell:
QuoteA famous photo (on social media) shows part of the hilly part of the highway known as the Three Sisters between Bridger Valley and Evanston that makes it appear the highway descends into a deep valley, then ascends into the clouds on the other side. Indeed, this could be a Highway to Heaven.
But then there is that bit of lore that's dubbed it the Snow Chi Minh Trail. During Wyoming's wintry season, there are areas of this highway that are very dangerous. Dozens of unlucky people have died in crashes on these stretches during the horrific snow, rain, ice, fog, wind and ground blizzards that happen over nine months of the year. John Waggener's excellent book explains how this happens.
On a recent trip, I was thinking about these facts about this old road and how it has affected me and my family since we started driving it 53 years ago exactly now. ... Over the past more than half century, we estimate we have made that 840-mile one-way trip from Lander to Harlan (Iowa) 120 times.
Back in the early 1970s, we drove this trip in an old Ford two-door sedan with rear-wheel drive. Now that was tricky during icy conditions. We built a wooden platform to fit over the back seat so our three young daughters could play back there. No concern about seat belts back then. We also almost always drove at night so the kids could sleep.
I used to imagine huge mountain ranges off in the distance at night as a way to slog through the miles and miles. We usually had three full thermos jugs full of hot coffee. There were very few convenience stores or truck stops back in those days. On our first trips on this road, there was construction — and on our most recent trip there was construction. Our four Wyoming seasons are Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter and Construction. ...
I am always complaining about the 12,000 to 16,000 semitrailer trucks on Interstate 80. Even if 99% are courteous and safe, that other 1% means 120-150 monsters making stupid decisions that risk the lives of all of us. They average 16 tons in cargo (32,000 pounds) and barrel down the road as fast as they can go.
Surely this interstate is the busiest in the USA, right? Nope. That title goes to Interstate 90, which is a mess in the northeastern USA. But Interstate 80 comes in second. The odd thing to me about this stat is that Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle to Boston, is very benign compared to I-80 when it crosses Wyoming from Sheridan to Moorcroft.
Interstate 90 is the longest interstate highway in the USA with our Interstate 80 coming in second, with a 402-mile stretch crossing the Cowboy State. Yes, Interstate 80 is an amazing road, but it also can be a god-awful long drive.
Quote from: andy3175 on December 24, 2023, 01:04:21 AM
Quote
Surely this interstate is the busiest in the USA, right? Nope. That title goes to Interstate 90, which is a mess in the northeastern USA. But Interstate 80 comes in second. The odd thing to me about this stat is that Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle to Boston, is very benign compared to I-80 when it crosses Wyoming from Sheridan to Moorcroft.
You have I-94 to thank for that, most of the trucks take that from Billings to Tomah instead of I-90. Makes I-90 west of Spearfish nice and quiet.
Quote from: SD Mapman on December 24, 2023, 07:04:04 PM
Quote from: andy3175 on December 24, 2023, 01:04:21 AM
Quote
Surely this interstate is the busiest in the USA, right? Nope. That title goes to Interstate 90, which is a mess in the northeastern USA. But Interstate 80 comes in second. The odd thing to me about this stat is that Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle to Boston, is very benign compared to I-80 when it crosses Wyoming from Sheridan to Moorcroft.
You have I-94 to thank for that, most of the trucks take that from Billings to Tomah instead of I-90. Makes I-90 west of Spearfish nice and quiet.
And if you wanted to bypass the Twin Cities altogether on a semi truck, you can use US 212 and SD 34 in lieu of I-90 in Wyoming: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Billings,+Montana/Rapid+City,+South+Dakota/@44.6670869,-107.2810986,6z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x53486f8888fa9d97:0x373556d4f179b550!2m2!1d-108.5006904!2d45.7832856!1m5!1m1!1s0x877d42a59ebba5fb:0xc471615a3e93b7c7!2m2!1d-103.2310149!2d44.0805434!3e0?entry=ttu
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes about U.S. 20 and its route through Wyoming. He gives a nice shout out to Bryan Farr, efforts to market the U.S. 20 national corridor, and Bryan's Historic U.S. Route 20 Association webpage, which is available at https://www.historicus20.com/index.html. Bryan's U.S. 20 book is good; I bought at copy at the Wyoming State Fair several years ago.
The article states the Historic U.S. Route 20 effort began in Ohio, but I thought it began in New York.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/02/10/bill-sniffin-who-knew-longest-highway-in-america-enters-wyoming-at-lusk-and-exits-at-yellowstone/
QuoteI was cursing the "longest highway in America" Thursday as I dealt with fog, crazy winds, snowpack, and ground blizzards crossing central Wyoming on U. S. Highway 20.
It was during a 2019 road trip through nine states, when I stumbled on to the interesting factoid that the longest highway in America bisects Wyoming.
It is Historic US 20, which is 3,365 miles in length. We drove on that road a lot during that trip and it was well worth it. ...
This highway enters the state east of Lusk on a truly marginal stretch of highway and continues to Orin Junction where it joins I-25 and then heads north to Douglas and Glenrock. It continues to Casper and then heads west to Shoshoni.
My late father always complained that long stretch from Casper to Shoshoni, was "96 miles of nuthin." Both local rancher Lois Herbst and Wyoming historian Phil Roberts took great umbrage at that description and I stand corrected. But that truly was what my late father used to say about that endless stretch.
From Shoshoni the highway heads north next to Boysen Reservoir and through glorious Wind River Canyon to Thermopolis. It continues to Worland, Basin, and Greybull before turning west to Cody and Wapiti Valley where it enters Yellowstone at the east gate. Along the way Historic US 20 picks up and joins U. S. highways 14 and 18 at times, before exiting the state.
Here is a map of the entire U.S. 20 corridor from Bryan Farr's webpage: https://historicroute20.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/VistaPrint_Map.png
Of course, another great resource on U.S. 20 is Dale Sanderson's fantastic U.S. Highway Ends page. See https://www.usends.com/20e.html for more information.
Additional measures are underway to reduce vehicle-wildlife conflicts along Interstate 25 between Kaycee and Buffalo.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/01/30/wyomings-second-deadliest-stretch-of-highway-for-deer-gets-wildlife-crossing/
QuoteA section of Interstate 25 between Kaycee and Buffalo had the unfortunate distinction of being Wyoming's second-deadliest stretch of highway for mule deer, but a new wildlife crossing there will spare hundreds of animals a year, a wildlife conservationist said.
As many as 40 deer a month were being struck and killed along that stretch of I-25. But a wildlife crossing, which uses fencing to funnel animals toward safe underpasses, is about 60% complete and could be finished by this summer.
Mule deer, foxes and other critters are already using the underpasses, making a significant dent in the roadkill toll on that stretch of interstate, said Chris McBarnes, president of the WYldlife Fund. ...
The WYllife Fund was also instrumental in raising money for the recently-completed Dry Piney wildlife crossing project along what was Wyoming's deadliest stretch of road for deer on Highway 189 between La Barge and Big Piney.
I-25 between Kaycee and Buffalo cuts through prime habitat for the Powder River and Pumpkin Buttes mule deer herds. Deer cross the highway daily as they move back and forth between feeding, watering and bedding areas. ...
The WYldlife Fund launched fundraising efforts for the $4.4 million project in 2020, after the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission prioritized the Kaycee-to-Buffalo wildlife crossing.
Roughly $350,000 was raised from private donors to supplement government grants and other money.
Donations came from numerous Wyoming businesses as well as "just people on the streets of Buffalo writing checks for $100 or $500," McBarnes said.
King Enterprises of Mills, Wyoming, started work last fall, with the bulk of the project involving building 36 miles of wildlife fencing, or 18 miles on each side of the highway.
More than 10,000 wooden fence posts were used, McBarnes said.
"And another interesting fact is that 168,000 'hog rings,' which attach the fencing to the post, are being used – and they all have to be installed by hand," he added. ...
Fresh off fundraising for the Dry Piney and Kaycee wildlife crossings, the WYldlife fund is looking ahead to Wyoming's next big crossing projects.
The top priorities include the Halleck Ridge crossing on Interstate 80 near Elk Mountain, where the highway cuts across major mule deer migration routes.
There's also a series of wildlife overpasses and underpasses planned along U.S. Highway 26 between Crowheart and Dubois. Bighorn sheep, mule deer and other wildlife frequently cross the highway there, McBarnes said.
Efforts continue to identify locations for wildlife crossings along Wyoming's highway network, including WYO 120 near Cody.
https://wyofile.com/highway-crossing-threatens-worlds-most-unique-pronghorn-herd/
QuoteMost antelope — sinewy creatures able to run faster than any North American land mammal — spend winters and summers in the safety of the plains. But instead of summering in roughly the same areas where they winter, this herd starts wandering west in early spring. The animals traipse through public and private land before looking for spots to crawl under, hop over or shimmy through fences along Highway 120. And then a portion of the herd keeps going, migrating high into the Absaroka Mountains where they find an oasis of open plateaus well above 10,000 feet elevation. ...
The nearly 60-mile migration from sagebrush lowlands to grassy high-mountain meadows sustains thousands of pronghorn each summer. But that journey across Highway 120, a busy stretch of two-lane road between Cody and Meeteetse, is becoming increasingly hazardous. And as more cars race up and down the highway to and from Yellowstone National Park and neighboring areas, more elk, deer and pronghorn meet their fates on the bumpers of trucks, sedans and SUVs.
On average, at least 100 deer, elk and pronghorn die each year on a 27-mile stretch of Highway 120. Sawyer worries that without intervention, and as traffic only increases, the world's highest pronghorn migration may one day be severed completely. ...
Game and Fish works with Wyoming Department of Transportation engineers each year to create a list of the highest-priority projects. It's a rolling tally that shows government agencies and nonprofits like The Wyldlife Fund where project needs exist and why. Project implementation relies on money, of course, which can reach tens of millions of dollars.
The state's current top three include a project on Highway 26 between the Wind River Reservation and Dubois and one on Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins. A third project is currently being assessed, and Nesvik said the Highway 120 crossing is pushing its way to the top. ...
While highway engineers and biologists wait for the gears of the highway-crossing machine to grind, they're considering other possible options. WYDOT has spent the past five years working with the Bureau of Land Management and Game and Fish to create wildlife-friendly fencing. Much of it includes using strands that antelope can crawl under and fences with wood logs on top that make it easier for elk to jump over without catching their hooves or legs, said Randy Merritt, WYDOT's District 5 construction engineer. ...
And that traffic will likely only intensify as more people flock to Wyoming's northwest corner. Traffic has increased from about 800 vehicles per day in the 1970s to almost 2,500 vehicles per day now, according to a report by the Beyond Yellowstone Program. About 500 more vehicles drive on the highway each day than did a decade ago.
Plans call for relocating three miles of U.S. 30 in Southwestern Wyoming to allow coal mining below its current alignment.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/04/09/moving-us-30-west-to-access-coal-reserves-would-cost-30-million/
QuoteThe landscape west of Kemmerer's port of entry is about to get bulldozed up.
The $30 million makeover isn't to hunt for fossils. It's to make it easier to get coal for power plants, send to customers looking to turn the commodity into ammonia or help with energy-starved trona mining operations.
An estimated 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt will be moved from the rolling hillsides located just west of the port of entry.
That's the equivalent of about 50,000 truckloads of dirt, said Jennifer Hoffman, the Wyoming Department of Transportation's chief engineer working on the project.
The nearby Kemmerer coal mine has requested that a 2.71-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 30 be realigned to the north a little bit — about half-a-mile — so that it can gain access to rich coal reserves.
Hoffman told Cowboy State Daily that an 80-to-100-foot vertical cut is needed in the hillside to the north of U.S. 30. ...
Half of the $30 million needed to move the highway came from the Wyoming Legislature in 2018. The rest is coming from the Kemmerer mine's owner, Hoffman said.
The 50-50 split originally was a deal worked out with the mine's previous owner, Westmoreland Coal, which filed for bankruptcy protection and sold the surface mine to Kemmerer Operations in 2019. ...
Some are skeptical that the highway will be moved without more coal commitments to mine at the Kemmerer surface mine.
Cullen Pace, who worked at the mine for 17 years and is now a representative of District 22 of the United Mine Workers of America in Price, Utah, said he didn't envision the highway getting moved unless the coal owner locks down long-term contracts.
"That would be horrible news," Pace told Cowboy State Daily about if the mine is closed. "The lack of coal contracts and commitment to mine is the reason it is going to close."