Transportation Commission awards $26 million in highway contracts

Contracts totaling $26.4 million for six highway projects around the state, including three to be funded with revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase, were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its December meeting in Jackson.

Simon Contractors and Subsidiaries of Cheyenne was the low bidder at nearly $6.9 million for improvements to 7.6 miles of Interstate 25 north of the Iron Mountain Interchange north of Cheyenne. The work will include milling off deteriorating pavement and replacing it with a new layer of pavement, replacement of some concrete slabs and rehabilitation work on nine bridges. The contract completion date is Oct. 31.

Hedquist Construction of Mills submitted the low bid of $6.2 million for improvements to two bridges on the US 20-26 west spur in Casper. The bridge over Casper Creek and the BNSF railroad tracks will get new pavement and be widened to match the width of the highway. The bridge over the Old Yellowstone Highway will get a new deck, approach slabs and guardrail. The work is expected to be done by June 30, 2017.

Lander’s High Country Construction won a nearly $5 million contract for a pavement overlay, bridge rehabilitation and safety improvements on four miles of US 26 west of Riverton. The work will include rehabilitation of the bridges over Winchester Draw and the Big Wind River, flattening of shoulder slopes and a final chip seal. The project will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase, and the contract completion date is June 30, 2017.

Cheyenne’s Knife River won the contract for another of the projects to be funded through the fuel tax increase with the low bid of $3.5 million to add passing lanes at five locations on US 20-26 between Casper and Waltman. Three of the passing lanes will be for eastbound traffic, and two for westbound. The work is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 31.

The third 10-cent-fuel-tax project went to Simon Contractors and Subsidiaries, with the low bid of $3.2 million to mill off deteriorating pavement and replace it with a new layer of pavement on eight miles of US 85 about 12 miles northeast of Cheyenne. The work also will include drainage improvements to prevent water from covering the highway during rainstorms, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31.

The three projects are among 14 WYDOT plans to begin in 2016 with the additional revenue the department expects to receive from the fuel tax increase that took effect in 2013. Twenty-five projects have already been completed with the additional fuel tax revenue.

Lewis and Lewis of Rock Springs won a $1.65 million contract for patching to extend the life of the pavement on sections of I-80 and WYO 372 in Sweetwater County, US 89 in Lincoln County, and US 191 in Teton County by Oct. 31.