Dry Piney wildlife crossing project on track

October 2023 completion date likely to be met

By Jennifer Hoffman, edited for clarity by Jordan Achs

While construction is paused for the winter season, work is on schedule for the Dry Piney Wildlife Crossing project on US Highway 189 between the communities of LaBarge and Big Piney.

The project was let in July 2021 to Boise, Idaho-based McMillen Inc. for a total cost of about $14 million. The project scope includes nearly 17 miles of 8-ft tall deer fencing on either side of the highway, nine underpass structures, almost 2 miles of roadway reconstruction and other work. Work officially began on the project on May 10, 2022.

The 2022 construction season saw five box culverts and one concrete arch installed. All six locations have been backfilled, paved and open to unrestricted traffic. Additionally, almost 35,000 feet of the 175,000 total feet of deer fence was completed in 2022.

WYDOT’s Environmental Services program installed cameras in December at the two underpasses that have deer fence installed on both sides of the underpasses to begin monitoring use. Signs already indicate use, even at the underpass that only has fence to the north.

Drivers will start to see major activity in the area again around May 1, when the Big Game Winter Range restriction allows activity to resume.

The three remaining underpasses on the south end of the project are projected to be finished by late summer 2023.

Because there are multiple structures in place and finished south of the current location where the deer fence ends, fence work can begin immediately at milepost 99.4 and can continue south on both sides of the roadway. Having structures already finished means the fence work won’t be delayed over concerns about “trapping” the animals with no structures in place.