It was after moving to Green River that Mark Baker found himself traveling along Interstate 80 much more frequently.
Baker, the Republican legislator representing House District 60, said he sees what kind of threat driving on I-80 can be for people commuting between Sweetwater County’s two cities as a result of heavy traffic often using the route. Semi trucks, using the route as a direct means of shipping goods across the country, are a common sight on the interstate, as well as travelers and locals making their way to their destinations.
The heavy traffic load means an increased potential of crashes and Baker said the five deaths that have occurred on the interstate in the past year is proof of how dangerous it can be.
“I-80 is the second busiest road in Wyoming,” he said, citing information that the busiest can be found leading to Jackson. “I’m not concerned with losing my life going to downtown Jackson.”
Baker said he’s also concerned with weather and crash closures, saying access to emergency medical care could be hampered by delays and traffic stoppages.
Baker is attempting to revive an idea to build an alternate route between Green River and Rock Springs. He will host a community meeting to discuss the route May 12 at the Sweetwater County Library in Green River. The discussion takes place from 6-7:30 p.m.
He’s also working to get support for such a project, having spoken with the Sweetwater County commissioners Tuesday morning and having previously brought the issue up with other legislators during the previous session in Cheyenne.
Study says -- the need is questionable
Sweetwater County’s engineering department has a study regarding a proposed alternate route in its archives. The study was completed in 2008 and was created by Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc., an engineering firm from Boulder, Colorado. At the time, WYDOT had received three letters of support for an alternate route, which came from The Green River Chamber of Commerce, Sweetwater County School District No. 2 and the now defunct Sweetwater Economic Development Association.
Among proposed economic benefits to the route, it was touted as a means of improving emergency medical services to Green River residents. As the interstate is the only paved route between Green River and Rock Springs and with Rock Springs having the county’s only hospital, the proposal suggests the availability of emergency care depends on I-80 being open.
A study of how frequently the interstate closes revealed closures were short and infrequent. From 2004-2007, the Westbound lanes were closed a total of eight hours while the eastbound lanes were closed for 30 hours. The largest eastbound closures, a 14-hour closure recorded March 29, 2007 and a seven-hour closure on Oct. 17, 2006, were attributed to weather. The third-longest closure, occurring for six hours July 23, 2004, was due to a crash.
The study also identified hurdles in using the remnants of the Lincoln Highway near the interstate. The county does not have right-of-way access as much of the highway is on private property, which would prevent the county from directing vehicles to the road. The road also doesn’t meet “horizontal or vertical geometric design standards” and would open both the county and private land owners to legal liability if a crash occurred on the road. Concerns about the Joint Powers Water Board waterline to Rock Springs were also raised, as increased traffic on the road would increase the chance of the line failing due to heavier loads on the line. Overall, the study placed the cost of creating a gravel route between the two cities using the Lincoln Highway to range from $26.7 million to $26.9 million.
A second alternate route, leading from East Teton Boulevard and ultimately connecting with U.S. 191 South was more expensive, ranging from $39 million to $51.4 million for a gravel road.
Ultimately, the 2008 study concluded the need for an alternate route is questionable based on the cost and the projected vehicle numbers using it. It concludes that an alternate route would be beneficial if a crash causes a closure on the interstate, but if it’s closed due to weather, the alternate route would also be closed due to weather.
In 2012, Inberg-Miller Engineers created several designs for potential roads focused on routes north of I-80, starting at Riverview Cemetery. While the proposed routes didn’t reach the figures cited in 2008, interest in building a secondary route waned after its release.
Federal funding is the key
Baker said the funding the federal government is prepared to spend through the American Recovery Act and the later American Jobs Act, which he said would focus on infrastructure, are the easiest ways of funding the alternate route. He said funding from the recovery act could be spent to prepare the infrastructure near along the route for the increased traffic and work to build the road. He believes the routes used in the 2012 Inberg-Miller document could be improved, realizing cost savings to drop the cost of construction.
However, the Sweetwater County commissioners see other issues being more of a pressing concern than an alternate route.
Commissioner Roy Lloyd, a resident of Green River, said the county has higher priorities, such as the Middle Baxter Road project, which aims to be a major economic development project for the county.
Baker said he understands the need for water to the Middle Baxter Road area and sewer to Jamestown, but he contends those uses are not what the American Jobs Act was created for.
Additionally, he said he’s gotten support from other legislators in this endeavour, including Speaker of the House Steve Harshman, R-Casper.
If the work is to be competed by WYDOT, Baker said it would have to get added to is STIP list, a collection of scheduled projects that can extend several years.
He thinks if the work is listed on the schedule, it will eventually be started.
However, making the route a county road would be an easier process Baker said. He said work could start sooner, as soon as funds from the ARA and AJA are released.
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