September 21, 2023 |
Photo – FHWA Administrator cuts ribbon for completion of highway project – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
Officials from state and federal transportation agencies gathered to celebrate the completion of the I-80 Winter Freight project.
Tuesday morning marked the end of the two-year-long process of making the stretch of Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Laramie safer for long haul truckers. Representatives from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Wyoming Trucking Association, and the University of Wyoming were on hand at the Quealy Dome truck parking area to cut the ribbon marking the end of the Winter Freight project.
The $34 million project created nearly 200 semi-truck parking spaces, split between the Quealy Dome and Fort Steele rest areas. WYDOT Director Darin Westby said the additional parking spots will give truckers a place to wait out road closures away from the area’s population centers.
Westby said over 8,000 trucks haul freight along I-80 every day. The WYDOT director said the 200 truck parking spots are only the beginning. Westby said his department is looking to add more parking along other parts of I-80, such as Cheyenne.
Another aspect of the Winter Freight project is the creation of truck passing lanes. Located at Halleck Ridge, west of Elk Mountain, and Cooper Cove, east of Arlington, Westby said the additional lanes will allow traffic to pass trucks slowing down to negotiate the steep hills in those areas.
Shailen Bhatt with the Federal Highway administration said Washington knows about the lack of available truck parking across the country. Bhatt said the $27 million his agency contributed to the Winter Freight project is just one of many undertakings FHWA is involved in.
Administrator Bhatt said the push for safe truck parking was spurred on by the passage of Jason’s Law. Jason Rivenburg was a truck driver who was shot and killed in 2009 at an abandoned gas station in South Carolina. Rivenburg chose to stop at the gas station after he could not find a safe and legal parking area along his trucking route. Jason’s Law was passed by congress in 2012 to address the lack of safe rest areas for commercial truck drivers.
President and CEO of the Wyoming Trucking Association Shelia Foertsch said truckers collaborated on the design of the Winter Freight project. Foertsch said WYDOT asked truckers what improvements were needed.
Wyoming Highway Patrol Administrator Colonel Tim Cameron said the parking lanes will help keep everyone that uses I-80 safe. Colonel Cameron said the parking spaces aren’t just for long haul truckers. The Highway Patrol administrator said every traveler is welcome to use the newly created rest areas.
Before the ribbon cutting, UW Archivist and Historian John Waggener presented some background about the creation of Interstate 80. Waggener said travelers knew the area was windy and snowy since the early 1800’s. The UW Historian said when the section of I-80 running from Laramie to Walcott Junction opened in 1970, highway crews discovered almost immediately that the road would be troublesome to keep open.
While yesterday was the officially recognized finish of the I-80 Winter Freight project, more work remains to be done. The rest area at Fort Steele is still closed while WYDOT crews wait for the arrival of a specific part needed to finish construction. WYDOT Public Relations Specialist Andrea Staley said the Fort Steele rest area is still expected to be completed before winter.
