Power project to cause delays on I-80 next week
Drivers on Interstate 80 near Fort Steele will experience temporary stops next week as Rocky Mountain Power installs electric lines over the four-lane highway.
The bundles of high-voltage lines will be connected to lattice steel superstructures that were built this summer.
Rod Fisher with RMP said 500 towers were constructed along 140 miles of RMP’s Gateway West Transmission Line. The line extends from the Aeola Substation ten miles north of Medicine Bow to Walcott Junction, then along the interstate to the Jim Bridger Power Plant near Rock Springs. The lines cross the interstate near Fort Steele.
Fisher, who is managing the project, said the overhead lines are part of a three-phase electrical system that will carry 500,000 volts of alternating current when finished.
It should be exciting to watch, too. On Monday morning, a helicopter will fly the cables over the interstate as crews connect them to the towers located on either side of I-80 at Fort Steele.
Traffic will be stopped each time one of the wires is flown over the interstate.
Work will begin Monday around 7 a.m., weather permitting, Fischer said. The Wyoming Highway Patrol with help from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office will stop traffic in both directions at at mile-marker 229, which is just east of the Fort Steele interchange.
Once the wire is across, traffic will be allowed to flow until the next wire is ready. Drivers should expect brief delays during the fly-over operations, perhaps as long as a half-hour.
A second day of flyover operations is scheduled for Thursday. When finished, Gateway West will be the largest transmission line in Wyoming.
Landfill officials continue billing discussion
The Upper Platte Valley Solid Waste Disposal District continues to explore how to implement its own billing system for the landfill and transfer station at Saratoga.
Billing currently is done by towns in the Platte Valley which have contracts with the solid waste district. The board is working to have a plan in place by July 1st when those contracts end.
Local vape shop weighs in on underage usage
Recent trends in underage vaping have many parents and teachers worried. Responsible members of the industry also have concerns.
They also have research about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to e-cigarettes.
This week Cali O’Hare talked with owners of a vape shop in Rawlins, who took the time to share what they know.
Sports: Post season seeding beginning to develop
The week in sports is a jam packed one as conference play will start to shape the post season. Joey Saverine has the preview.
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