Construction will Start on County Road 401 This Summer

JUNE 13, 2025 |

Photo – County Road 401 – Bigfoot99 file photo

The Board of Carbon County Commissioners reluctantly agreed to deplete impact assistance funds to pay for repairs to Sage Creek Road.

In January, the Commissioners hired WLC Engineering and Surveying of Casper to design repairs for deteriorating sections of County Road 401, also known as Sage Creek Road. After receiving the report, the county opened bidding for a contractor to complete the necessary repairs.

At the June 3rd Board of County Commissioners meeting, Road and Bridge Superintendent Kandis Fritz announced she had received only one bid for the County Road 401 repair project. The Rawlins-based paving company, 71 Construction, submitted a bid of $587,652 to apply a new three-inch layer of asphalt over the damaged sections of road.

County Road 401 was repaved in 2018. Road and Bridge Superintendent Fritz said the road was not prepared properly before paving and was further damaged by heavy truck traffic. Fritz said the county will likely need to repair the same sections of the road again in the future.

Fritz said 71 Construction plans to excavate the six damaged sections of Sage Creek Road and may uncover issues requiring further attention and added costs.

Commission Chairman Travis Moore said the county is not responsible for the poor condition of County Road 401. Chairman Moore said a federally hired contractor completed the work and assured the county it was done properly.

Road and Bridge Superintendent Fritz said the Board of Commissioners did not accept the road after the federal repaving project. Instead, an unidentified individual, presumably within the county government, approved the completed project, placing the county in its current situation.

Commission Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett asked Fritz if WLC Engineering had suggested more than a three-inch asphalt overlay as a permanent solution for County Road 401.

The Road and Bridge Superintendent said the engineering firm recommended removing the entire six miles of damaged roadway and constructing a new road, which would increase the total cost of the project to $6 million.

Fritz said geogrid fabric, used for soil stabilization, will be placed beneath the asphalt overlay, increasing the road’s water resistance.

Commissioner John Johnson asked Attorney Ashley Davis if the county had any recourse to address Sage Creek Road’s poor condition. Attorney Davis said the county had no control over the past project, as all decisions were made at the state and federal level. Therefore, the county cannot hold the federal government accountable for the repairs.

Additionally, Attorney Davis said any warranty on the repair work is past its expiration date.

The County Attorney also said her office has been unable to locate the contract documentation between the contractor and the federal government, despite submitting a Freedom of Information Act request.

The current speed limit on County Road 401 is 55 miles per hour. Road and Bridge Superintendent Fritz said the speed should be lowered to 45 for safety. However, Fritz said the Wyoming Department of Transportation is unlikely to approve the change.

County Attorney Ashley Davis said the Wyoming legislature recently removed the requirement to conduct a speed study before modifying a road’s speed limit, meaning the county can potentially set speed limits on Sage Creek Road without WYDOT’s approval.

The Board asked Road and Bridge Superintendent Fritz how she plans to pay the $587,652 for the Sage Creek Road repairs. Fritz responded she has approximately $300,000 left in impact assistance money. Additional funding must come from either the county or the Road and Bridge budget.

Fritz reminded the commissioners that she promised to keep $1 million in the county’s road fund. If her department is required to cover the full cost of the Sage Creek Road project along with other scheduled bridge repairs, Fritz said she would be left with only $400,000 in reserve.

The Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to accept 71 Construction’s $587,652 bid to repair County Road 401. The TransWest Express impact assistance fund will be depleted to pay for the project, with the remaining money being taken out of the county’s road fund.

Road and Bridge Superintendent Kandis Fritz said the project will be completed by September 12th.