WYDOT outlines proposed BHC road projects

The Wyoming Department of Transportation presented its 2025-2030 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) to the Big Horn County Commission on June 18.
District Engineer Pete Hallsten, WYDOT’s main presenter, provided a handout of the proposed projects in Big Horn County.
In 2024, the WYDOT projects are: Basin/Greybull-mill, overlay, chip seal and culvert replacement. The other project in 2024 is spot shoulder/slope flattening from Deaver to the Montana state line.
For 2025, the West River Road from Manderson to Worland would receive a 1-inch mill, overlay and chip seal.
Bridge replacements are scheduled for 2026. Those bridges are the Rairden Bridge near Manderson and a Shell Creek Bridge on U.S. Highway 14.
The projects for 2027 in Big Horn County are level, 1-inch mill, overlays and chip seals.  Locations include portions of U.S. Highway 14/16/20 Greybull/Emblem to Cody, Wyoming Highway 31 Manderson-Hyattville, U.S. Highway 14 from Shell to Burgess Junction and U.S. Highway 310, Greybull to Lovell South.
Hallsten stated the main purpose of the meeting was to get public input. He asked the county let WYDOT know if there was additional scope of work or projects that should be included in the STIP.
The second handout was an overview of WYDOT. It included WYDOT’s purpose, which is to “support Wyoming’s economy and quality of life while safely connecting communities.”
Hallsten said with a new director leading the agency (Darin Westby), the areas of focus have changed. Now they are “recognize/retain/recruit” staff. “We’ve had a difficult time keeping a full roster in a lot of parts of the state. A lot of that is economic issues. Also, to secure additional funding. The reason we are in preservation mode is because we only have enough money to try and keep up with existing roads,” explained Hallsten.
The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act funding for 2025 surface transportation is $362,470,085. This money is for construction only. It does not include bridges or electric vehicles.
Hallsten pointed out that in Wyoming, the funding breaks down to 27% state funds/73% federal funds. The national average is 70% state funds/30% federal funds. “Very little state money is used for our roads. A big portion of state funds goes towards matching the 73% (federal). The rest goes to operation and maintenance. That is snow plowing, replacing pipes, chip sealing, operating rest areas is a big one.” noted Hallsten
He also explained where the input for the STIP comes from. One is the Asset Management System. The major roads are driven once a year. The secondary roads are driven every other year with equipment that takes videos and measures the road’s condition. This is what is used to set the priorities for spending.  
Another factor is safety. If there are a lot of accidents in the area, they review the conditions and make improvements if needed. They also factor in a possible increase in traffic for things like new subdivisions, new business development, etc.
A copy of the report is available at www.dot.state.wy.us/STIP
In other commission business:
• An executive session was held for potential litigation.
• The commissioners approved spending county lodging tax monies on an ad in the Yellowstone Journal Magazine in conjunction with the Lovell, Greybull and Basin Area chambers of commerce.
• The engineering/road/bridge department reports were given by County Engineer Willie Bridges, Road/Bridge supervisors Shannan Hovey and Eric Mann. Pivots are still an issue.
• Thur gave the Airport and Land Planning Reports.
• Frannie Mayor Steven Richardson discussed drainage issues along U.S. Highway 310 with the WYDOT contingent. The town hopes to do a sidewalk project next year.
• Jones Brothers Enterprises requested that the county not spray the county road easement near their property in Otto. The county granted the request.