Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023:
The Wyoming Department of Transportation is expanding in-state truck parking options with the intent to providing safe areas for rest, as well as wait out winter storms and interstate closures.
New truck parking from the I-80 Winter Freight/BUILD project is focused on that major east-west route, specifically at Quealy Dome/mile marker 290 and Fort Steele Rest Area/mile marker 228, totaling nearly 200 spaces.
WYDOT will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 20, to celebrate the completion of the project at 10 a.m. at the Quealy Dome truck parking lot.
In addition to truck parking, the project includes added truck passing lanes to increase motorist safety and improve traffic flow on steep inclines. The truck climbing lanes are located at Halleck Ridge, between mile markers 250.5 and 252.5 in the eastbound lanes, and at Cooper Cove, between mile markers 279.5 and 281.5 in the westbound lanes.
Other features are 12 miles of wildlife fencing near Halleck Ridge, more than six miles of pavement preservation overlay, and a new salt/sand storage building at Quealy Dome.
WYDOT applied for and received a federal BUILD grant for $20 million in 2018. The total project budget was $34 million, which included a state match.
