FRIDAY, July 24, 2026|
Photo – Patrick Casey McMorrow – Courtesy City of Rawlins
Rawlins officials agreed to name the city’s new Higley Boulevard pedestrian underpass in honor of a 10‑year‑old boy who was killed while crossing the highway.
During the July 21st Rawlins City Council meeting, Mayor Jacquelin Wells introduced a measure to dedicate the still‑under‑construction walking tunnel beneath North Higley Boulevard to Patrick Casey McMorrow. Mayor Wells explained that McMorrow was killed on November 2nd, 1983, after he was struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross the busy highway. The mayor said naming the underpass would be an appropriate way to honor McMorrow and his family.
Forty‑three years after McMorrow’s death, high‑speed traffic on the highway continues to create a dangerous barrier between the Highland Hills neighborhood and nearby school campuses, including the Carbon County Higher Education Center. The Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Rawlins Urban Systems Committee have spent decades attempting to find a cost-effective way to safely allow people to cross Higley Boulevard. In the end, WYDOT determined that an underground pedestrian tunnel would provide the most effective solution.
WYDOT and Reiman Corporation, the contractor selected for the project, began work on the Higley Boulevard pedestrian underpass earlier this year. The idea to name the structure after Patrick Casey McMorrow was first brought up at the March 13th Rawlins City Council meeting. During the discussion, Councilman Derek Elliott suggested dedicating the underpass to everyone killed or injured while attempting to cross the busy highway, not just McMorrow.
At this week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Jacquelin Wells said Police Chief Mike Ward confirmed that McMorrow was the only pedestrian fatality on Highway 287.
After the conversation, the Rawlins City Council unanimously voted to name the city’s new pedestrian underpass after 10‑year‑old Patrick Casey McMorrow. Mayor Wells said she will invite the McMorrow family to the ribbon‑cutting ceremony once the project is complete. Work is expected to finish this fall.
