Emergency slide repair project begins this week on WYO 296 near Cody

A $363,000 emergency slide repair project started this week on Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WYO 296), northwest of Cody.

Installation of a 10-foot soil nail wall is under way 18.5 miles west of WYO 296's junction with WYO 120, according to Wyoming Department of Transportation maintenance engineer Lyle Lamb of Basin.

The slide repairs are occurring at milepost 27.5 on WYO 296, Lamb said.

WYDOT maintenance workers are assisting with traffic control and other efforts on the project.

The contractor is Geological Stabilization Inc., (GSI) of Grand Junction, Colo. GSI was dispatched to the 2018 Chief Joseph Slide on WYO 296 and Wind River Canyon to perform soil nailing in several places.

GSI's slide repair work is expected to take several weeks to complete.

"This soil nailing project is designed to be a permanent fix and it is intended to keep the roadway as safe as possible into the future," Lamb said. "Motorists should expect minor traffic delays."

Following its work on the slide repairs, GSI is scheduled to participate in permanent repairs of the Pat O'Hara Creek bridge less than a mile from the intersection of WYO 296 and WYO 120. The Pat O'Hara Creek bridge repairs were necessary after erosion from high-water runoff threatened the bridge this spring. WYDOT workers responded to the bridge this spring and conducted emergency repairs to allow the bridge to remain open without any weight limits.

For information about WYDOT's work, contact public relations specialist Cody Beers at (307) 431-1803.