WYDOT Plans Public Meetings for Input on Bighorn Basin Highway Construction

W.Y.D.O.T. is traversing the Bighorn Basin to get public input on its ongoing plan to improve over 1,300 miles of highway in northwest Wyoming over the next several years.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has finished its yearly update for its Wyoming Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. S.T.I.P. is a six-year, fiscally constrained program representing the planned construction, preliminary engineering, and right-of-way costs for over 550 Wyoming transportation projects.

Every year, a series of annual public meetings are scheduled throughout the Bighorn Basin in August to address future highway improvement projects in northwest Wyoming. And it’s that time of year again.

Courtesy WYDOT

Each county in the Bighorn Basin has several potential large and small S.T.I.P. projects scheduled over the next few years.

A key part of the S.T.I.P process involves annual meetings with public officials and other individuals who play key transportation partnership roles in Wyoming, said Wyoming Department of Transportation District Engineer Pete Hallsten, P.E., of Basin.

“These in-person meetings provide an opportunity for local officials and citizens to provide input into WYDOT’s planning process and to maintain and improve our excellent partnerships with counties, cities, and towns. Please plan to attend,” Hallsten said. “The STIP is a 6-year program approved by the Wyoming Transportation Commission. It provides a snapshot of existing and expected projects and their schedules, and it is continually updated.”

Public involvement is a crucial component of WYDOT’s mission to provide a safe, high-quality, and efficient transportation system.

The S.T.I.P. is a prioritized construction plan for the 1,326 miles of highway in northwest Wyoming. Projects enter the S.T.I.P. process based on complex long-range planning and needs analysis process, along with public input on known development issues that impact highway capacity.

Future S.T.I.P. projects will determine the next construction zones – which include delays and slowdowns. The question is when and where residents think W.Y.D.O.T. should allocate its resources.

W.Y.D.O.T. has planned in-person public meetings in July and August – as part of regular county commission meetings – to receive input and answer questions:

• Hot Springs County

  • Hot Springs County Government Annex Building, County Commission Chambers, (117 North 4th Street, Thermopolis)
  • 9 a.m., Tuesday, August 2, 2022

• Fremont County

  • Fremont County Courthouse, County Commission Chambers (450 North 2nd Street, Lander)
  • 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 2, 2022

• Park County

  • Park County Courthouse, County Commission Chambers (1002 Sheridan Avenue, Cody)
  • 11 a.m., Tuesday, August 9, 2022

• Big Horn County

  • Big Horn County Courthouse, County Commission Chambers (420 C Street, Basin)
  • 10 a.m., Tuesday, August 16, 2022