Wyoming 130 Snowy Range Road

[andy3175]

Wyoming 130, which connects Saratoga, Ryan Park, Centennial, and Laramie, reopened to traffic on May 24 after its winter seasonal closure ended with the final removal of snow from the Snowy Range:

http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2014/05/23/news/doc537ed95fb35af972695338.txt

The Snowy Range Pass is expected to open at dawn Saturday (5/24), after crews started clearing the road May 5. It took seven Wyoming Department of Transportation personnel from the WYDOT District 1 headquarters and another WYDOT crew from Casper to clear snow from Wyoming Highway 130. The tallest drift was 30 feet. ... Four rotary plows, one road grader and a snow plow were used to clear the path. A mechanic and a fuel truck were on hand at all times for refueling and  repairs.

The spring snowstorm May 11 that closed several highways dropped 40 inches on the pass and set the crew back three days, Doman said. Crews clearing Highway 130 were also taken off the mountain to work on opening Interstate 80. This year's snow was about 150 percent wetter than normal, making it more difficult for the plows because it was heavier than drier snow, Doman said. Melted snow froze at night and created large sheets of ice.

In previous years, less snow would take about a week to clear, Doman said. The average cost to clear the road is about $50,000, but in 2011, WYDOT spent about $400,000 because of the record-breaking amount of snowfall that year. This year's cost is expected to be closer to average.

The picture shown in the link gives a pretty good sense of scale for the amount of snow removed in this year's operation.