10/5/06-Wyoming lawmakers will discuss how the state should maintain Interstate 80 during the regular session that starts in January.
The Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Interim Committee decided to sponsor a bill that would establish a select panel to study how to maintain Wyoming’s 400 miles of the roadway.
The decision by lawmakers followed talks with the Wyoming Department of Transportation Oct. 2 that the state needed to develop a long-term maintenance plan for I-80 that is separate from plans for other roads and highways, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
The announcement follows on the heels of discussion by the panel on whether to borrow money from the state’s Permanent Mineral Trust Fund to pay for road and bridge work throughout the state. Secretary of State Joe Meyer said the trust fund could be refilled with federal mineral royalties.
Meyer said borrowing from the trust fund is legal and it should be mentioned as a possibility for addressing road repairs that become a bigger problem every day as construction costs rise with inflation. He also cited damage to roads by large trucks and other heavy equipment.
Truck traffic also was listed as a concern in discussions about how to maintain I-80.
The long-term maintenance plan for the highway could include adding a third lane in each direction, building alternate routes, diverting truck traffic to rail. Tolling also was mentioned for further study.
The interstate is expected to see increasing traffic that will cause more safety and maintenance concerns, officials said. Truck traffic alone on I-80 is growing at double the rate of cars, the Star-Tribune reported.
The interim panel voted to sponsor the select committee bill. Lawmakers also appeared to be open to the idea of borrowing from the trust fund to pay for transportation, and Sen. Gerald Geis, R-Worland, said he would be interested in pursuing legislation to make it happen.

7/18/06-Alternate routes, a toll road, safety initiatives and expanding Interstate 80 to six lanes are among the ideas drawing consideration in Wyoming to alleviate safety and congestion along the thoroughfare.
Del McOmie, chief engineer with the Wyoming Department of Transportation, testified before an interim legislative panel this month about the busy roadway. The agency is studying several issues involving the highway.
McOmie said the scope of traffic issues on I-80 is so large that the Legislative Management Council will be asked to create a special task force to oversee the study, The Associated Press reported.
He singled out truck traffic on the interstate that runs the entire length of southern Wyoming as one of the various challenges for the state. McOmie said increasing truck traffic could cut in half the life span of the interstate.
WYDOT counts up to 10,000 vehicles a day on the highway. About half of that amount is large truck traffic, McOmie said.
By 2020, the agency anticipates between 12,000 and 17,000 trucks per day, the Jackson Hole Star-Tribune reported. The highest traffic increases are expected between Rock Springs and Green River, where as many as 45,000 vehicles could travel daily by 2020. Peak volumes now register about 20,000 vehicles each day.
During McOmie’s testimony to the Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee he also pointed out that there are safety problems on I-80, especially in winter.
Closing the road in winter could alleviate some safety concerns but it also creates other problems for state officials, highway crews and towns near the interstate, he said. On average, it costs each stopped truck $1 per minute to wait for roads to reopen, the Star-Tribune reported.
Alternate routes were one option mentioned to keep travelers moving. However, widening I-80 to three lanes in each direction would be more appealing, McOmie said.
The legislative panel said turning the interstate into a toll road to pay for widening work is another option that deserves study.
“Toll roads may be our saving grace,” said Sen. Michael VonFlatern, R-Gillette, the Hole-Tribune reported. He said yet another option would be to lease the route to a private group.