LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 20, to celebrate completion of the Interstate 80 Winter Freight/BUILD project, which includes truck parking.
The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the Quealy Dome truck parking lot at mile marker 290 on I-80, according to a news release.
“The purpose of the project is to provide safe areas for commercial drivers to rest or wait out winter storms and closures,” the news release stated. “The project also includes added truck passing lanes to increase motorist safety and improve traffic flow on steep inclines.”
New truck parking from the project is focused on I-80, specifically at Quealy Dome and Fort Steele Rest Area at mile marker 228, totaling to nearly 200 spaces.
The truck climbing lanes are located at Halleck Ridge, between mile markers 250.5-252.5 in the eastbound lanes, and at Cooper Cove, between mile markers 279.5-281.5 in the westbound lanes.
Other features included in this project are 12 miles of wildlife fencing near Halleck Ridge, more than 6 miles of pavement preservation overlay and a new salt/sand storage building at Quealy Dome.
WYDOT applied for and received a federal BUILD grant for $20 million in 2018. The total project budget was $34 million, which included a state match.
The completion date for the project is fall of 2023.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
