WYDOT crews begin work on seasonally closed roads

LARAMIE – Snow removal work has begun to reopen WYO 130 over the Snowy Range, with a target opening date of Memorial Day weekend.

WYDOT maintenance crews from Laramie and Saratoga have started clearing the road on their respective sides of the mountain range.

Area Maintenance Supervisors Tye Fix in Laramie and Marty Mayfield in Rawlins said ice is a bigger obstacle this year, and workers having to chip away larger chunks of ice to work through the snowpack. At Headquarters Park, crews are already into about 6 feet of snow, Mayfield said.

As happens in Southeast Wyoming, spring storms are forecast to add even more snow to the high elevations, including Wednesday into Thursday. This storm is forecast to add 8-12 inches to the Snowy Range with up to 21 inches in localized areas, according to the National Weather Service in Cheyenne.

The target opening time for WYO 130 is Memorial Day weekend.

After WYO 130 is open, focus turns to WYO 70 over the Sierra Madre, which typically opens about a week after WYO 130. WYDOT crews in Baggs have started work on their side of the range.

WYO 130 over the Snowy Range and WYO 70 over Battle Pass close annually in late autumn when relatively low traffic and deep snow accumulations render plowing operations impractical. This season, WYO 130 closed on Nov. 20, 2017, and WYO 70 closed on Dec. 23, 2017. WYO 130 and WYO 70 are two of several high-elevation mountain roads in Wyoming with seasonal closures. WYO 130 tops out at more than 10,800 feet, and WYO 70 crosses the Continental Divide at the 9,955-foot Battle Pass.

For information about this news release, contact WYDOT District 1 public information specialist Matt Murphy at (307) 745-2142. For the latest road conditions, visit WYDOT's 511 website.