14A May Close Early

If more November snow and high winds come to the Bighorn Mountains, the daily chore of keeping U.S. 14A open between Lovell and Burgess Junction may end with an earlier-than-normal seasonal closure of the highway.
That’s according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Maintenance foreman Jason Fleming of Lovell says that their crews are already dealing with a major snow drifting issue on the mountain, pointing out that crews from Lovell and Burgess Junction have been sending trucks out every morning to plow and sand.
Fleming said a WYDOT plow truck became stuck on Nov. 3 while attempting to clear drifts from the highway, which resulted in the road closing that day, and a second plow truck sent to help ran into difficulties with freezing rain.
WYDOT annually closes this 22-mile stretch of scenic mountain road in the Bighorn Mountains about Nov. 30 at the conclusion of the fall hunting season. It usually opens for the summer by Memorial Day weekend.
Fleming points out that while crews are making the road passable every morning, they have been called out in the afternoons for vehicles having trouble getting over the mountain. He said that they plan to continue to keep the road open until it is unsafe for the public or for snow plow drivers. However, if the drifting gets too bad, they may choose to close it early.