District briefs

Continued from cover cause you to get into a crash and get injured, or worse, it can cost you your life.”

In 2019, Wyoming had 921 distracted driving crashes, resulting in 12 fatalities and 354 injuries, information from WYDOT’s Highway Safety program indicated. Nationally, in 2018 there were 2,841 fatalities and about 400,000 injuries, the NHTSA indicated. The data was the latest the organization had available.

To prevent distracted driving, motorists need to devote their full attention to driving and not do anything else.

Proper seat belt use is another way motorists and their occupants can keep themselves safer when driving.

Seat belts are important because they help keep occupants secure. Drivers and passengers who don’t wear their seat belts can risk being ejected from their vehicles if they get into a crash.

Wyoming had an 83 percent proper seat-belt usage rate in 2019, information from WYDOT’s Highway Safety program indicated. Out of the fatalities for 2019, 44 percent, or 51 total, were not wearing their seat belts.

Wyoming’s seat belt usage rate has remained relatively the same for the past few years with 2018 having an 84 percent proper usage rate, 2017 having an 83 percent rate, 2016 having an 84 percent rate and 2015 having an 82 percent rate.

Wyoming’s numbers are below the national average of 90.7 percent. Nationally, out of 37,133 motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2017, 47 percent were not wearing their seat belts, information from the NHTSA indicated. The data was the latest NHTSA had available.

Winter conditions can also contribute to crashes and injuries. Where available, WYDOT uses variable speed limit signs to slow traffic down for conditions. The department also has dynamic message signs to alert motorists of conditions or crashes ahead.

Additionally, WYDOT has its 511 website that provides road and travel conditions to the public. The website also has an assortment of other travel-related features to help motorists such as the 511 app for smartphones.

To learn more, visit:

WYDOT Highway Safety:

http://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/ dot_safety.html NHTSA: https://www.nhtsa.gov/

WYDOT’s 511 website:

https://wyoroad.info/ n

Headquarters

Driver Services offices in Cheyenne, Rawlins closed due to COVID-19 exposures

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) has closed the Driver Services offices in Cheyenne and Rawlins on Tuesday due to COVID-19 exposures.

WYDOT is closing the offices to do a deep cleaning, conduct contact tracing and due to staffing shortages.

“At this time we are taking it day by day and are looking for personnel to staff the office,” said Misty Dobson, Driver Services program manager. “We want to remind our customers that many of our services can be conducted by phone and online.”

Additionally, customers in the Cheyenne area can visit the Driver Services offices in Laramie and Torrington if they need to conduct business in person. Customers in the Rawlins area can visit the Driver Services offices in Laramie or Rock Springs.

WYDOT’s Driver Services offices throughout the state have implemented safety and cleaning protocols since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Driver Services employees wipe down their stations with cleaners after each transaction and have plexiglass barriers at their desks to provide separation between themselves and the customers.

Examiners wipe down the vehicles used for road testing and wear masks. Applicants are also required to wear masks.

Photo: WYDOT Cheyenne Driver Services office closed to deep clean due to COVID-19 exposure. Commission awards $26.6 million contract to construct new interchange off I-80 near Rock Springs

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded Reiman & High Country Construction JV Limited Partnership, of Cheyenne, the $26.6 million work in Sweetwater County. The commission awarded that and four other projects totaling $37.7 million at its recent meeting in December.

For the I-80 work, crews will build the new interchange to improve traffic flow and access to businesses in the city. The Wyoming Department of Transportation is working with the city of Rock Springs on the project, which also includes replacing an overpass that was previously closed, installing a new road and widening a bridge over a creek. The contract completion date is June 30, 2023.

The other contracts the commission awarded include resurfacing and bridge repairs.

The commission awarded Reiman Corp., of Cheyenne, a $6 million contract for concrete slab repair, bridge work and overlay work on about 4 miles of I-80 beginning at the intersection of Curtis and Third Streets in Laramie in Albany County.

Crews will make concrete repairs to the surface, make various repairs to about 10 bridges and add a high-performance overlay to the road, with the exception of the bridges, to improve the road surface. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2022.

McGarvin-Moberly Construction Co., of Worland, won a $4.6 million contract for a resurfacing project on eight miles of Interstate 25 between Glendo and Douglas in Converse County.

Crews will mill and overlay 3 inches of road and will use the old material on the median by the cable barrier. Then they will then resurface the road with 4 inches of material.

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WYDOT is doing the work to improve the road surface. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2021.

The commission also awarded contracts for: • $243,287 to Reiman Corp. for a bent cap replacement bridge contract on

WYO 239 at the Salt River Bridge between Freedom and the Idaho state line in Lincoln County by Oct. 31, 2021, and • $47,355 to S & L Industrial, of Cowley, for bridge railing modification, guardrail and other work on I-80 between

Rawlins and Laramie in Carbon

County by June 30, 2021.

Laramie County Shop with a Cop program

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Highway Patrol, Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming State Parks, Cheyenne Police Department and Pine Bluffs Police Department teamed up again this year for the Cheyenne area “Shop with a Cop” (SWAC) event on Dec. 18.

The SWAC program was started in Laramie County by the Wyoming Highway Patrol Association (WHPA) in 2015 and involved the aforementioned law enforcement agencies. SWAC and other similar charitable giving events happened in almost every community in the state throughout the holiday season, thanks largely to the WHPA. The idea is to have the child shop with a law enforcement officer to build trust with young people while assisting families in need. Each Laramie County Elementary School selects a student to participate in SWAC. The child chosen is given $100 to shop for themselves with the officer, deputy or trooper. The staff in each elementary school in Laramie County select the children because they know their needs and stories in their respective buildings. In 2019 WHP was able to raise more than $6,100 for this cause and took 37 students shopping and assisted countless students with free lunches.

School counselors, social workers and faculty joined officers in donating to the cause. Other businesses and individuals also expressed a desire to contribute to this program. To make this financial giving possible, the WHPA, a registered non-profit organization, established an account for the event making the donations tax-deductible. Any additional funds that come in go to the school districts to pay for school lunches for students who cannot afford to on their own. The WHPA hopes children will not have to miss lunch again for the remainder of the school year. It also helps fund the “Breakfast After the Bell” program at McCormick Junior High. These programs will keep on going through the remainder of the school year as long as funds exist.

The children were also provided with a complete Christmas meal to take home to their families for a holiday, including a turkey and all the trimmings. The large food bags were coordinated by spouses of the officers who had raised additional funds, purchased the food and donated turkeys from the Laramie County Gobbler Gang. Wyoming’s First Lady’s Hunger Initiative also partnered with SWAC throughout the state to ensure each participating child and their families didn’t go hungry through the holiday season.

Due to the coronavirus, the officers and students were required to wear masks throughout the event. Officers had hand sanitizer available to the students and they shopped with them using social distancing throughout the store. Walmart had a checkout counter designated specifically to the SWAC event. Once the checkout was complete, the officer escorted the student outside Walmart to meet their parent/guardian.

FMCSA Emergency Declaration extended

CHEYENNE – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has again extended its emergency declaration regarding commercial transportation of essential COVID-19 supplies.

The federal government extended the declaration through Feb. 28, 2021, as it was scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2020.

Specifically, the updated declaration covers transportation to meet immediate needs for: • Livestock and livestock feed. • Medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19. • Supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and prevention of community transmission

of COVID-19 such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap, and disinfectants. • Vaccines, constituent products, medical supplies, and equipment, including ancillary supplies/kits for the administration of vaccines related to the prevention of COVID-19. • Food, paper products, and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores.

Commercial motor vehicle drivers who can safely operate a motor vehicle while transporting the listed essential supplies related to the COVID-19 emergency outbreak will be allowed to continue to operate beyond standard hours of service.

“It’s imperative we do our part to help keep needed supplies moving throughout our state and the nation during these unprecedented times,” said WYDOT Director K. Luke Reiner. “This extension will help support the commercial transportation industry with their vital mission of helping our communities get the supplies they need.”

District 3

Broken-down vehicle leads to abducted child

ROCK SPRINGS – On Dec. 11, Wyoming Highway Patrol was notified of an Amber Alert. The Amber Alert was issued after a 10-year-old child was abducted from the area of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Law enforcement was told the suspect vehicle involved in the incident was possibly headed toward Pueblo, Colorado.

On Dec. 12, a WHP trooper was notified of a broken down vehicle in the road around milepost 32 on WYO 430 south of Rock Springs, Wyoming. The trooper located the vehicle and realized it was similar to the one described in the Amber Alert. The trooper spoke with the driver and received inconsistent and vague responses. The driver also initially told the trooper he was alone in the vehicle. The trooper detained the driver and again inquired if the female suspect from the Amber Alert was inside the car. The driver admitted the female and the juvenile were both in the vehicle. All occupants were asked to exit and the juvenile from the Amber Alert was found unharmed.

The trooper later discovered misdemeanor amounts of marijuana and

methamphetamine inside the vehicle. The child was released to the Wyoming Department of Family Services.

The driver and passenger were arrested and have been identified as Eugene A. Trujillo and Gabriella A. Rodriguez. Trujillo has been charged with kidnapping, interference with custody, accessory before the fact and child endangerment with methamphetamine. Rodriguez has been charged with kidnapping, interference with custody, child endangerment with methamphetamine and two counts of third offense possession of a controlled substance.

The incident is still under investigation.

District 5

State Snow Removal Operations 2020-21 plan

DUBOIS – WYDOT maintenance crews use a detailed plan to attack winter storms when they occur in the Cowboy State.

Limited resources, including a lack of manpower and limited state funding, require priorities to be made. WYDOT’s Snow Removal Operations 2020-21 Plan is a prioritized list of routes based on traffic counts and school bus routes.

What follows is the level of snow-plowing service as determined by the maintenance manual and snow plan: – Level 1A roads have 24-hour service.

The only Level 1 (A) roads are the interstate highways in Wyoming; – Level 1B. Crews strive to provide service up to 20 hours a day with minimum service necessary that will allow traffic to move safely at a restricted rate. Plowing methods and frequency should be sufficient to keep snow ridges and dangerous drifting to a minimum; – Level 2. Crews strive to provide service up to 16 hours a day for traffic observing reasonable winter driving precautions. Plowing methods and frequency should be sufficient to minimize minor snow ridges and dangerous drifting; – Level 3. Crews provide minimum service necessary for traffic observing reasonable winter driving precautions and speeds. Plowing methods and frequency should be sufficient

to minimize larger snow ridges and dangerous drifting during daylight hours; crews apply abrasives (sand/ salt) and chemicals when necessary on hills, curves and hazardous locations; and crews close the road when warranted by visibility limitations or other extreme situations. If necessary, crews allow roads to close because of the weather and reopen as soon as resources are available; – Level 3B roads. Crews provide minimum service as resources become available; crews apply abrasives and chemicals as necessary on hills, curves and hazardous locations; road conditions shall govern; and the public may travel at their own risk, as conditions allow; and – Level 4 roads. Crews close these roads in the fall as mandated by heavy snow and weather. Crews reopen these roads as soon as practical in the spring.

“Cleanup operations at the end of the storm are to be performed during normal scheduled working hours after all other levels of snow control service have been accomplished,” the Snow Removal Operations 2020-21 Plan stated. “This operation shall include the clearing of any snowblocked approaches, removal of drifted areas off the roadway, and snow piles at intersections and turnarounds, etc.”

“In short, high volume roads are plowed up to 24 hours a day, and usually consist of interstate highways and urban routes, such as I-80 in southern Wyoming,” said WYDOT District 5 Maintenance Engineer Lyle Lamb. “Medium routes are plowed to keep them passable and reasonably safe, and are a secondary priority to high volume routes. Low volume routes are only serviced after high volume and medium volume roads have been cleared, and are only plowed during daylight hours. Closed refers to seasonally-closed roads, where the cost of keeping them clear outweighs their use.”

“Exceptions to the plan include school bus routes, which are plowed twice a day regardless of their priority,” Lamb said.

The snow removal priority plan is available at www.wyoroad.info. Concrete rehabilitation project shut down

CODY – A winter project shutdown occurred the week of Dec. 14 on the $4.93 million concrete rehabilitation project in downtown Cody.

“All concrete work is completed through Alger Avenue on 17th Street as per the construction requirements of Phase 2,” said Resident Engineer Todd Frost of Cody.

Current project work includes concrete slab replacement work in the westbound lanes of 17th Street between Alger Avenue and Draw Street. “We expect project cleanup to be complete throughout the project work zone,” Frost said.

Last week, street grinding was completed in the westbound lanes of Sheridan Avenue between 14th and 15th streets, and from Walgreens to East Sheridan Avenue, including a portion of East Sheridan Avenue.

Frost said project highway striping was completed Dec. 9 between 14th Street and Alger Avenue. “We appreciate our WYDOT stripers for their patience and waiting to stripe until this late in the year,” he said.

Work remaining in 2021 includes: – Replacement of broken curb and gutter, double gutter, double gutter, sidewalk, and concrete pavement from Alger Avenue through Stampede

Avenue; – Grinding and texturing concrete from

East Sheridan Avenue through Stampede Avenue; – Cleaning and sealing concrete joints from 14th Street through Stampede

Avenue; – Placing sod at Good to Go, Holiday

Inn and Antler Inn in spring 2021; – Paving at Comfort Inn and as needed in spring 2021; – And landscaping and sprinkler repairs will be completed at Walgreens,

Wendy’s, Holiday Inn, Pinnacle Bank and other areas as needed when the ground thaws in spring 2021.

The Sheridan Avenue project (#CodyImprovements) includes removing and replacing existing damaged concrete slabs, resealing existing concrete joints, grinding and texturing existing roadway,