WYDOT Begins New Repairs on Chief Joseph Scenic Highway

W.Y.D.O.T. is ready to begin another set of improvements on the Chief Joseph Highway, which means a few weeks of short delays and single-lane traffic.

The Chief Joseph Highway (Wyoming Highway 296) is due for another set of repairs. This time, work will commence in the Paint Creek Canyon.

W.Y.D.O.T. has established a 300-foot work zone for $130,000 for Paint Creek Canyon slide repairs on WY296 (Chief Joseph Scenic Highway). The work zone is located about 11 miles west of WY296’s junction with WY120, northwest of Cody.

“Several of the existing gabion baskets were washed out this spring during a runoff event,” said district maintenance engineer Lyle Lamb of Basin. “Maintenance workers installed new asphalt pavement curb in the area this summer to mitigate future water flows, but our goal with this small project is to repair the wall and prevent future issues.”

Repairs involve placing grouted hollow bar anchors and a concrete gravity retaining wall into a section of canyon wall for permanent support below the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.

The contractor on the slide repair project is Geological Stabilization, Inc., (GSI) of Grand Junction, Colo., which will work with W.Y.D.O.T. maintenance workers to complete the repairs.

But the extra assistance won’t accelerate the weeks-long timetable.

Because of the nature of this work, drivers along the Chief Joseph Highway should expect some traffic delays this fall.

Motorists should expect short traffic delays,” said Wyoming Department of Transportation district maintenance engineer Lyle Lamb of Basin. He expects the soil nailing repairs to take several weeks to complete.

Single-lane traffic around the short work zone is being handled with the use of portable traffic signals.