District Briefs

Headquarters Commission awards nearly $79.79 million in contracts in February

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded almost $79.79 million in contracts for 10 Wyoming Department of Transportation construction projects during its February 16 regular business meeting.

The commission awarded an almost $57.67 million bid to Minnesota-based Ames Construction, Inc. for a group of projects involving bridge replacements, concrete surfacing, grading, traffic control, paving, electrical work, drainage and other work on about 1 mile of northbound and southbound Interstate 25 in Casper. The contracted completion date is November 30, 2025.

North Dakota-based Northern Improvement Company was awarded a $4.97 million bid for a project involving paving, fencing, traffic control, grading, guardrail, milling and other work on approximately 9.4 miles of US Highway 85 in Weston County. The contracted completion date is November 30, 2023.

Lewis & Lewis, Inc., based out of Rock Springs, was awarded an almost $4.58 million bid for a project involving paving, milling, traffic control and other work in various locations within Lincoln, Sweetwater & Uinta Counties. The contracted completion date is October 31, 2023.

The commission awarded a $2.34 million bid to Lovell-based Mountain Construction Company for a project involving paving, traffic control, chip seal, milling and other work on about 4.2 miles of US Highway 14A in Big Horn County. The contracted completion date is August 31, 2024.

Montana-based Streamline Markings, Inc. was awarded a $714,660 bid for a project involving striping, traffic control and other work in various locations within Albany, Campbell, Carbon, Crook, Johnson, Laramie and Sheridan Counties.

Streamline Markings was also awarded a $664,060 bid for a project involving striping, traffic control and other work in various locations within Sublette, Sweetwater and Teton Counties.

Both projects with Streamline Markings have a contracted completion date of September 30, 2023.

The commission awarded an $887,009 bid to Cheyenne-based Reiman Corp. for a project involving bridge rehabilitation, traffic control, grading and more on a pedestrian overpass on I-25 in Cheyenne. The contracted completion date is August 18, 2023.

Also based in Cheyenne, Simon Contractors was awarded a $400,154 bid for a project involving paving, grading, traffic control, milling and other work on US 85 in Laramie County. The contracted completion date is October 31, 2023. Two projects this month are funded primarily with state dollars:

• Simon Contractors was also awarded a $4.75 million bid for a project involving paving, traffic control, milling, chip seal and other work on approximately 9.7 miles of Wyoming Highway 34 in Albany County. The contracted completion date is June 30, 2024.

• Simon Contractors was also awarded a $2.81 million bid for combined projects involving paving, chip seal, traffic control and other work in various locations within Campbell, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston Counties. The contracted completion date is August 31, 2023.

Eight of this month’s awarded projects are primarily funded with federal dollars. Almost all WYDOT projects are awarded to the lowest bid.

Massive drifts caused extended closures of I-80

CHEYENNE – Despite long hours and hard work by Wyoming Department of Transportation snowplow operator crews, massive drifting along Interstate 80 prompted an extension of a closure through Feb. 24.

After working through the night, crews reevaluated conditions in the morning hours and determined an updated estimated reopening time based on current conditions and forecasted weather, especially forecasted winds.

“We battled 4-plus-foot snow drifts along I-80, especially near the Continental Divide west of Rawlins and Bitter Creek,” said Tom DeHoff, assistant chief engineer for operations. “Drifts that big require slow moving, heavy equipment like rotaries, motor graders and dozers to make any kind of dent.”

Additionally, WYDOT shifted resources the night of Feb. 22 to rescue stuck and stranded motorists, including drivers who passed road closure gates illegally.

WYDOT snowplow crews based in areas which were less impacted by the storm moved south to help attack the snow drifts in the southern portion of the state.

“I-80 is a 24-hour road according to our Snowplow Priority Plan,” DeHoff said. “Crews continued their hard work through the night to get traffic moving again as quickly and safely as possible.”

Winter storm has major impacts; WYDOT issues reminders to motorists

CHEYENNE – As major winter storms bring major travel impacts to the state, the Wyoming Department of Transportation wants to issue some reminders to residents and travelers.

Briefs continued on page 4

Briefs continued from page 3

Strong winds and snow caused closures in every WYDOT district over the President’s Day weekend. Before the snow started to fall, wind wreaked havoc on the highways, causing closures and delays through the holiday weekend.

WYDOT urged motorists to obey road closures and not drive past road closure gates. Closures indicated the road was impassable at some point, whether it was from large drifts, ground-blizzards or a crash.

“WYDOT has seen a major increase in gate runners this season,” said Tom DeHoff, assistant chief engineer for operations at WYDOT. “Motorists illegally passing gates delays WYDOT from reopening the road; crews have to shift to addressing stuck and stranded drivers and the drifts their vehicles caused while they were stuck.”

As announced in November, WYDOT has been experiencing personnel shortages, including shortages of snowplow operators and Wyoming Highway Patrol Troopers. In previous storms, WYDOT and the WHP have moved forces from areas less impacted by a storm to areas with heavier impacts to help those crews.

However, since the recent storms have impacted the entire state, it is possible that levels of service, especially on lower-level roads, were reduced during the storm. To see the hours of service on Wyoming highways, check out our Snowplow Priority Plan at https://www. dot.state.wy.us/home/travel/winter/ snow_plow_priority_plan.html.

If it feels like this winter has been harsher than the last few years, you aren’t alone. WYDOT crews have been working long hours, weekends and holidays to fight the harsh weather and near-hurricane-force winds.

Winds have caused stretches of multiple-foot-deep snow drifts on highways like US Highway 287 north of Rawlins and even portions of Interstate 25 and Interstate 80. The drifts led to prolonged closures as crews had to use rotary plows and other heavy equipment to move the deep snow. Rotary plows are typically used to open seasonal closures, like Wyoming Highway 130 through the Snowy Range.

“Plowing through large drifts isn’t as easy as just driving a plow through,” DeHoff said. “The drift condenses and acts almost like concrete, so it requires large, slow-moving, heavy-duty equipment to even make a dent.”

For those who do have to travel, please give WYDOT plows plenty of room to work. Use caution if passing; the road behind an active plow is the safest.

District 1

WHP troopers locate juveniles shooting road signs

CHEYENNE – On Feb. 13 a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was driving near County Road 124 and County Road 218 when he heard several gunshots being fired. The trooper located a pickup truck in the area where he heard the shots.

The trooper stopped the pickup truck and, throughout the investigation, learned the juveniles had been shooting road signs with a 12-gauge shotgun, 9mm pistol and .22 caliber rifle, which were located inside the truck. A missing 13-yearold female was also found in the vehicle riding with the older juveniles.

The juveniles were charged with the following:

• Reckless endangerment (due to the close proximity of houses and highways); and

• Property destruction (damage from shooting road signs).

The Wyoming Highway Patrol would like to thank the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office for its help with this investigation.

Pedestrian bridge in Cheyenne temporarily closed

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Transportation temporarily closed the pedestrian bridge over Interstate 25 at mile marker 13.32 due to structural safety concerns.

Bridge engineers determined the far west column sustained critical damage due to factors such as moisture and weather conditions. The bridge was temporarily closed as well as a portion of Bishop Boulevard. I-25 and Hynds Boulevard remained open and were not affected.

WYDOT is currently evaluating options to temporarily shore the bridge to open for pedestrian traffic as soon as possible. The pedestrian bridge was already scheduled to be rehabilitated this coming summer.

Once the school year has concluded, the bridge will close again during the rehabilitation project.

Avoid pushing snow onto state highways

LARAMIE – The Wyoming Department of Transportation issued a reminder that it is a violation of state law to place snow on state roadways.

WYDOT has received many reports across southeast Wyoming of people pushing snow into the traffic lanes of state highways.

State statute 35-10-401 (b) stipulates whoever, in any manner, wrongfully obstructs any public highway, or injures any bridge, culvert, or embankment, or injures any material used in the construction of any such road, shall be fined in any sum not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00), to which may be added imprisonment in the county jail not more than three months.

“It is important to remind the general public that piling or depositing of snow in WYDOT’s right-of-way not only reduces line of sight visibility, but also creates other hazards such as drifting, and potential road obstructions,” says Laramie Area Maintenance Supervisor, Eric Anderson.

District 1 Maintenance Engineer, Tim Morton, added, “large piles of snow adjacent to the roadway can melt and contribute to areas of unexpected slick spots, creating hazards on an otherwise dry roadway.”

While finding appropriate solutions to snow removal can be a challenge, be sure to remove snow responsibly, not causing further hazards to the traveling public.

District 2

Wyoming State Trooper injured in crash

DOUGLAS – On Feb. 3, a Douglas trooper was parked on Highway 59 at milepost 46.5 with emergency lights activated, assisting multiple motorists who had left the roadway due to weather and road conditions.

A 53-foot box trailer semi-truck was traveling northbound when the driver lost control of the commercial truck and collided with the back of the patrol vehicle. The trooper was inside the patrol vehicle at the time of the crash.

The commercial truck driver did not report any injuries at the time of the crash.

The trooper was transported to Memorial Hospital of Converse County for non-life-threatening injuries he sustained in the crash.

The commercial truck driver was issued a citation for speeding too fast for road conditions.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol would like to remind motorists to move over for emergency vehicles.

As the project progress, the majority of the work will occur on the shoulders and corners of Uinta Drive. Lane closures will be in place during pole removal and installation work as well as portions of the wiring and boring work. The completion date for the project is Oct. 31st of this year.

Avalanche infrastructure maintenance caused traffic delays

JACKSON – The Wyoming Department of Transportation performed maintenance on avalanche infrastructure in the Hoback Canyon on Feb. 18. The work caused delays for traffic of up to 15 minutes at a time.

Crews used helicopter operations in the Stinking Springs area of Hoback Canyon to do some general maintenance and refueling of the O’Bellx avalanche infrastructure units. These units use explosions to trigger smaller, controlled avalanches to prevent dangerous, uncontrolled conditions. The O’Bellx units are remotely operated by computer and are installed and removed by helicopter.

the occupants were interviewed, it was learned that the male was not supposed to be in the commercial truck.

The female driver told troopers the male was her ex-boyfriend and had entered her vehicle without her knowledge in California. She said he had physically and sexually abused her in the truck over the past several days while she was transporting the commercial cargo. She also stated he stabbed her in the leg.

As the male was interviewed, he initially gave false information about his name to conceal his identity. The male was identified as Alejandro Delgado, a resident of California, and had an active warrant for his arrest out of California.

Delgado was arrested and booked into the Sweetwater County Detention Center on the following charges: NCIC Warrant (No Bond, Full Extradition for Parole Violation out of Bakersfield, California) - Felony and Interference with a Peace Officer – Misdemeanor.

This is an ongoing investigation.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol would like to thank the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Department for its help with this investigation.

The

District 3

Work underway on Uinta Drive in Green River

GREEN RIVER – The Wyoming Department of Transportation, along with contract crews from Casper Electric, worked along Uinta Drive Feb. 27 as part of a signal and intersection upgrade project. Crews began work to remove various sections of sidewalk near the intersections along Uinta Drive. Motorists were urged to be aware of various lane closures at all three intersections along Uinta while the work took place.

The Green River Signal project work encompasses new traffic signal pole installation, new traffic detecting sensor installation, conduit drilling and installation, and ADA and sidewalk upgrades.

For the safety of the traveling public and the safety of WYDOT crews, the road was briefly closed and free of moving traffic for helicopter operations to collect and return the equipment to its position after maintenance and refueling. Ideally, motorists only saw two brief delays as the helicopter carried the O’Bellx units to and from their location. Roadside flaggers were traffic control for the operation.

WHP safely locates female involved in a multi-state domestic disturbance

ROCK SPRINGS – On Feb. 4, Wyoming Highway Patrol Troopers were dispatched to a possible domestic disturbance in the area of Bitter Creek Rest Area in Sweetwater County. The reporting party told patrol dispatch they thought the driver of a gray Volvo semi-tractor trailer was dealing with a domestic disturbance with her ex-boyfriend.

Troopers located the vehicle parked in the eastbound Bitter Creek Rest Area on Interstate 80 in Sweetwater County. As

Work on N Street bridge near Civic Center

ROCK SPRINGS – The Wyoming Department of Transportation restricted daytime access to the N Street bridge near the Rock Springs Civic Center Feb. 7-8 for some routine bridge inspection work. Crews needed to close the bridge to motorists to mobilize equipment and crews to perform drilling work on the south end and collect core samples for evaluation.

The work was extended and work continued through Feb. 14-15 as crews found some unexpected setbacks with drilling.

Residents of the area and local traffic will be able to access the surrounding neighborhoods and driveways, but through traffic is advised to find an alternate route or detour to Pearl Street.

The work was originally scheduled for December 2022, but was delayed due to weather conditions.

Briefs continued on page 6

Preliminary work on new Snake River Bridge, WYO 22/WYO 390 intersection

JACKSON – The Wyoming Department of Transportation and contract crews from Ames Construction, Inc., began extracting gravel and clearing trees in preparation for the work that will take place over the next two seasons in the replacement of the Snake River Bridge on WYO 22 in Teton County.

The gravel work in the river will force the closure of the southwest informal lot around the bridge, which has been used as a parking area for those wishing to access the levy area. The informal parking area will no longer be available, but a new pedestrian access from the boat ramp and under the new bridge to the levy will be available upon completion of the work.

Crews also began clearing trees around the southwest corner of the bridge and the southern side of WYO 22 as far west as Green Lane.

Drivers will see minimal impacts to traffic for this work. Travelers in the area are advised to watch for flaggers and trucks entering and exiting the levy area.

“The new bridge will be built in stages – with the first stage just south of the existing bridge while traffic uses the existing bridge. Once the first stage is complete, traffic will be put on it and the old bridge removed to make room for the second stage of the new bridge. The two parts will be tied together in the end. This first stage is right where the informal parking has occurred so that parking will no longer be available,” Resident Engineer Bob Hammond said.

The work is part of the Snake River Bridge and Intersection project, which was awarded in November of 2022. The work includes the replacement of the Snake River Bridge on WYO 22, the reconstruction of the intersection of WYO 22 and WYO 390, wildlife crossings and other work on approximately 1.80 miles of WYO 22 and WYO 390 in Teton County. More information about the project is available at www.dot.state. wy.us/snakeriver

The completion date for this project in

Extended closure on Interstate 80

ROCK SPRINGS – The Wyoming Department of Transportation, along with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, oversaw an extended closure of more than 14 hours for Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Rawlins in both directions due to deteriorating conditions and poor visibility Jan. 27-28. Maintenance crews reported visibility of less than 50 feet in some areas, slick roads, blowing and drifting snow caused by high winds. Rolling closures were in effect on I-80 eastbound between Evanston and Rock Springs and westbound between Cheyenne and Laramie.

WYDOT and the Highway Patrol ask local residents and business owners to help spread the message about the dangerous conditions and the extended closures on Interstate 80 and to help remind all drivers – local and interstate – to not park on the on-ramps, or at the closure gates. Parking on the interstate at the closure gates impedes maintenance activities and delays road opening.

Drivers can check Wyoming’s road and travel information at www.wyoroad.info for opening times and sign up for text alerts for opening notifications.

Total number of employees: As of February 10, 2023

1,787 One month ago 1,759 One year ago

1,920

District 5

Don’t pile snow near traffic signals

LANDER – Damage to a traffic signal control cabinet, electronics and wiring caused by piling snow on the corner of a business parking lot the weekend of Jan. 28-29 had left the traffic signal inoperable

Total number of highway fatalities: As of February 27, 2023

22 One year ago

12 at the junction of Main Street and Baldwin Creek Road in Lander.

“The contractor removing the snow notified WYDOT, and we immediately cut the power to the traffic signal,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation Traffic Engineer Jack Hoffman of Basin. “Please don’t pile snow near traffic signals. This will be a costly repair, paid for by the snow removal contractor.”

Hoffman said WYDOT traffic technicians responded to the area Jan. 30 to assess the damage to the traffic signal control box at the Main Street/Baldwin Creek intersection.

“Our hope is that the damage is minor, and that we can get the traffic signal up and running sooner than later,” Hoffman said.

With January’s record-setting snow in Fremont County, residents and businesses are trying to find places to pile snow. Hoffman said piling snow on or near roadways is creating safety hazards for drivers and pedestrians.

“Please pile the snow in other places,” Hoffman said.

A traffic signal control box was toppled by a snow clearing crew, causing damage to the unit and a signal outage in the area.