3 minute read
By the Numbers
from Interchange November 2021
by WYDOT
US 287 paving between Buena Vista and Middle Fork of Popo Agie River bridge; concrete striping
LANDER – Asphalt paving activities continued in Lander on the $6.89 million Lander concrete rehabilitation project/US 287 project.
A 2-inch layer of asphalt pavement was applied to the milled road surface. Once the first layer of pavement is placed between Buena Vista Drive and the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River bridge, the entire asphalt paving project received a second 3/4-inch layer of pavement wearing course, according to Wyoming Department of Transportation Inspector Austin Shields of Lander.
More than 5,325 tons of asphalt paving and 1,921 tons of pavement wearing course were paved on each end of the downtown Lander concrete pavement.
In other news, a WYDOT striping crew is scheduled next week to paint lines on the concrete section of the Lander streets project.
The US 287 (Lander Main Street Americans with Disabilities Act improvements and concrete rehabilitation, and US 287 pavement overlay) project is 16.2 miles in length, between the Main Street/Buena Vista intersection in Lander and Ft. Washakie. The project includes concrete grinding, concrete joint sealing, asphalt paving, chip sealing, and curb, gutter and ADA ramp repairs.
Prime contractor is Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell. Contract completion date is Nov. 30.
Rock scaling in Wind River Canyon
THERMOPOLIS – An $8.78 million slide stabilization/rock scaling project continued in Wind River Canyon alongside US 20/WYO 789 between Shoshoni and Thermopolis.
Prime contractor is Oftedal Construction Inc., of Casper.
“Subcontractor Midwest Rockfall is scheduled to complete rock scaling,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation Project Engineer Jordan Erz of Worland. “Following rock scaling, prime contractor Oftedal Construction continued to remove the scaled rock. The contractor broke up the large boulders to be loaded and hauled from the canyon.”
Erz said the 20-minute traffic delays eased during rock cleanup efforts and project work may continue this fall as weather allows. Work on the project is scheduled to resume in the spring.
The rock scaling highlight involved about three working hours by the rock scaling crew to remove a 500,000 pound boulder from above the highway for safety reasons. Erz said dirt was washed out under the big rock and a channel for mud and water flows was cut underneath the rock.
“The big rock was very unstable. We are confident it would have fallen during or after a future large rainstorm and at the very least, the big rock would have damaged the highway and caused a road closure,” Erz said. “When the big rock was ready to roll toward the highway, we had a 28-minute traffic delay. We apologized for the lengthy delay, but safety was the top priority.”
Rockfall scaling locations in Wind River Canyon during the last month were milepost 116.3 (highway tunnels), mileposts 116.79 to 116.82 (north of the tunnels/just south of the Fremont/Hot Springs county line), mileposts 118.12 to 118.18, and mileposts 120.41 to 120.61 (3 miles north of the Hot Springs/Fremont county line).
The Wind River Canyon slide stabilization project includes slide repair, grading, slide stabilization rock (SSR), manual rock scaling, rock fall mitigation and other work on US 20/WYO 789 beginning at milepost 115.9 through 123.12 inside the canyon between Shoshoni and Thermopolis.
Contract completion date is Nov. 30, 2022. n
Photo: WYDOT
The “big rock” – a 500,000 pound boulder – after being unseated from the top of the hill.
