Wyoming

[Max Rockatansky]

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.

[andy3175]

Process for determining when to close Interstate 80 in Wyoming

https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_74dc216c-f0c5-5194-9606-4231b2b7e4bf.html

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.

[andy3175]

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/

Each 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.

[andy3175]

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/

The 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.

[andy3175]

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/

Converting 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/

[andy3175]

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/

A 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.

[andy3175]

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/05/30/massive-storm-dumps-3-feet-of-snow-in-northwest-wyo-dozens-of-travelers-rescued/

A 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

[andy3175]

Concerns with a landslide on US 14 in Dayton....

https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/in_brief/article_58497bc8-f3c2-5561-a707-e66beffe0d83.html

Landslide 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

[andy3175]

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/

It'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

[andy3175]

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/

Yellowstone 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/

Yellowstone 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.

[andy3175]

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

[andy3175]

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

The 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.

[andy3175]

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/

The 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

After 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.

[andy3175]

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/

The 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.

[Rothman]

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.

[jlam]

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.

[andy3175]

Updates on repairing roads in Yellowstone:

https://wyofile.com/haaland-climate-crisis-resiliency-guide-yellowstone-rebuild%ef%bf%bc/

Engineers 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.

[andy3175]

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/

The 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

The 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

[andy3175]

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/

A 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.

[Plutonic Panda]

"Others want to keep the road unplowed"  SMH

[SD Mapman]

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.

[andy3175]

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/

When 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."

[Alps]

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/

When 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? 🤔

[FrCorySticha]

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.

[andy3175]

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/

If 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/

To 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.