Commissioners hear WYDOT future construction project plans

Construction work to improve and upgrade Sweetwater County's highways will continue throughout the next several years as the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WDOT) works on a long list of construction projects.

WYDOT District Engineer John Eddins and resident engineers Clint Lockman and Brad McCullough presented the WYDOT State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) update on current and future highway projects in Sweetwater County to the Board of County Commissioners during the July 5 meeting.

Eddins explained the district is going through the planning process of establishing construction projects for the next several years and is currently working on getting input and collaborating with local agencies like the commission on the plans.

When considering how to fund projects for the future, Eddins noted that WYDOT has been dealing with the effects of inflation, seeing cost escalations for materials and bid items, with some costs having doubled or tripled in the past few years. There has also been a shortage in the labor market recently, and Eddins added that any increases in federal funding haven't been enough to cover the cost of inflation. These kinds of factors have forced WYDOT to move projects back or adjust the scope of projects, and they have "had to make some pretty drastic moves in our construction plan for the next six years," according to Eddins.

The STIP amount, which is shared among all five WYDOT districts across the state, has dropped from $350.2 million in fiscal year 2023 to approximately $320 million in fiscal year 2024.

Despite funding challenges, several construction projects and goals are still in the works and being mapped out for the future.

"One of our goals over the next three or four years is to get after I-80," Eddins said. "We can't have another spring with the potholes we had out at Patrick Draw and Bitter Creek and over by Little America and Church Butte. So it'll take us a couple years to get caught up, but we're putting a lot of money into I-80."

Another overarching goal is to work on a Bridge Formula Program to address deficient bridges.

"State-wide we're going to spend at least $50 million a year on bridges," Eddins explained.

WYDOT also plans to work on development for electric vehicle charging stations, although Eddins admitted he's hesitant to spend state money on EVs with limited funds and he hopes to get funding from other sources, such as public-private partnerships, for these projects.

Engineers Lockman and McCullough gave the commissioners a rundown of the projects planned for Sweetwater County from the rest of 2023 through 2029. They are currently working on wrapping up projects like the signal project along Uinta Drive, the interchange road project by Rock Springs, and the Little America project from Granger to Blacks Fork on Interstate 80 Eastbound and Westbound.

Another project coming up soon is a community development project with the city of Green River for Riverside Park, which will develop the pathway and lighting at the park.

Plans for 2024 through 2029 include a number of projects at various points of I-80, including a 2025 plan for slab replacement, grinding, and resealing between Cruel Jacks and the Green River bridge.

Several upcoming plans are for areas in and around Green River, including a 2026 project that will work on redoing lights and structures on bridges along WYO 530.

"Sounds like you guys have plenty of work ahead," Chairman Keaton West told the engineers. "It's just a matter of funding, like always."