Weight limit removed on Pat O' Hara Creek (WYO 296) bridge; repairs nearly complete

Repairs on the WYO 296 Pat O' Hara Creek bridge have progressed to the point where the 13-ton weight limit has ended for vehicles driving over the bridge.

The Pat O' Hara Creek bridge is located north of Cody, just hundreds of feet off WYO 120, at the beginning of Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.

"The 13-ton weight limit was removed from the repaired bridge at 4 p.m. Wednesday," according to WYDOT area maintenance supervisor Brian Pittman of Basin.

Extreme erosion, caused by a large rain event on May 26, washed the rock riprap away from the bridge piers of the Pat O'Hara Creek bridge. The erosion forced the Wyoming Department of Transportation to load-limit the bridge at 13 tons until repairs could be completed.

WYDOT officials developed a plan late last week, and after consultation with WYDOT bridge engineers, WYDOT workers launched repairs Monday underneath the bridge at the southeast end of Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Repairs will continue through Friday.

The Pat O' Hara Creek bridge was built in the 1960s.

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