US14A reopens between Lovell and Sheridan after Memorial Day weekend blizzard

US14A has reopened following a Memorial Day weekend blizzard which dropped up to 2 feet of snow and wind deposited deep drifts between Lovell and Sheridan.

US14A opened for the spring at noon Friday, May 27, but the opener was short-lived as a good old-fashioned spring blizzard rocked the mountains of northwest and north central Wyoming with wet, heavy snow and self-closed the high mountain, scenic roadway.

Wyoming Department of Transportation maintenance crews in Lovell and Burgess Junction worked through the weekend and early this week to clear deep snow and drifts across the top of the Bighorn Mountains.

The reopening of US14A , always dependent upon favorable weather, was official at 5 p.m.today, June 1.

"It's been a very busy 4 days," said a weary WYDOT heavy equipment operator, Richard Gurney of Lovell. "Motorists are encouraged to drive safely and buckle up. We appreciate everyone's patience as our guys fought the storm and worked on clearing the closed highway."

The annual winter closure of US14A, west of Burgess Junction, is at milepost 76.04 on the Lovell side of the Bighorn Mountains. The seasonal road closure at Burgess Junction is just east of milepost 98.1. WYDOT annually closes this 22-mile stretch of scenic mountain road in the Bighorn Mountains of north-central Wyoming about Nov. 30 at the conclusion of the fall hunting season. The high-mountain roadway usually opens for the summer by Memorial Day weekend.

For current road conditions, call 511 or log on to wyoroad.info.

For information about this news release, please contact Cody Beers, WYDOT public relations specialist, at (307) 431-1803.