Inflation Costs May Cause Delay Or Cancellation Of City Projects

July 30, 2024 |

Photo – City of Rawlins and WYDOT logos – Bigfoot99 file photo

Ballooning inflation may put the cost of the proposed Rawlins Higley Boulevard underpass out of reach.

In August of 2021, following the completion of the Higley Boulevard Corridor Study, the Rawlins Urban Systems Committee recommended building a pedestrian underpass to connect neighborhoods on the east side of the city to the schools.

The city will work with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to fund the project. In July of 2022, the Rawlins city council agreed to pay 9.51% of the total project cost. At the time, the Higley Boulevard pedestrian underpass was estimated to cost roughly $1.6 million in total. The city was expected to put $158,341 of 6^th Penny Tax revenue towards the project with WYDOT covering the remaining $1.5 million.

The agreement with the state agency stipulated that if the project costs exceeded the estimated price, the city will cover the difference.

Work on the Higley Boulevard pedestrian underpass stalled as the Rawlins Urban Systems Committee tried to get the project off the ground.

At the July 16^th Rawlins city council meeting, Councilman Darril Garner, council liaison to the Urban Systems Committee, said the cost of the project has increased by nearly a million dollars since 2021.

Councilman Garner said between WYDOT’s promised $1.5 million and the city’s match, the Urban Systems Committee has $1.7 million set aside for the project. The councilman said if the project costs can be reduced by roughly $300,000, construction on the Higley Boulevard pedestrian underpass may begin in two years.

In May, Councilman Garner said a geologist was studying the local water table to determine if a pumping system will be needed to prevent the underpass from flooding. At the July 16^th meeting, Councilman Chris Weisenburg asked about the outcome of that study. Councilman Garner said the findings will be presented to the Urban Systems Committee in October.

The Rawlins Urban Systems Committee is also trying to repair the 6th Street Bridge, which crosses over the Union Pacific railroad tracks. In May, Urban Systems Committee Chairwoman Judy Dixon told the city council that WYDOT will cover the bulk of the project, estimated at $2 million. No date was given for the start of the 6^th Street Bridge repairs.