May 1, 2023 |
Photo – County Road 351, North of Sinclair, WY – Bigfoot99 file photo
Carbon County’s busiest road will receive some much-needed safety improvements.
A Wyoming Department of Transportation grant will allow center-line repainting on County Road 351, otherwise known as Seminoe Road.
Over 60,000 outdoor enthusiasts travel the 30 miles from Sinclair to Seminoe State Park on the county road each year. Carbon County Road and Bridge Coordinator Kandis Fritz sought assistance from the state’s High Risk Rural Road Project to enhance the road’s pavement markings. County Road 351’s lanes will be given a fresh coat of paint using a $100,000 WYDOT grant. The county is responsible for a 10% match. The project is expected to begin sometime this year.
The High-Risk Rural Road Project was established in 2006. According to the WYDOT website, “the goal of the program is to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries on high-risk rural roads by correcting safety deficiencies on rural roads where major improvements do not appear to be cost effective due to low traffic volumes.” Examples of safety improvements are signage, rumble strips and, in the case of County Road 351, lane markings.
Being designated “high risk” doesn’t necessarily mean the road is especially deadly. In an email sent to Bigfoot99, Fritz said there haven’t been more fatalities on the road. The road and bridge coordinator said she picked County Road 351 because the centerline stripe has pretty much worn off and is no longer visible. With so many tourists, many from out of town, using the road, added safety measures will help keep people safe as they travel to and from the popular recreation spot.
Fritz said she will continue to seek out grants to pay for further improvements to the county road.
Fritz said all the roads in Carbon County could potentially qualify for the High-Risk Rural Road Project. However, she said she is focusing her efforts entirely on County Road 351.
