Out with the old — Bridge work to begin on Old Highway 85
Submitted photo WYDOT and its contractor, Rieman Corp., will begin replacing the railroad bridge located on County Road 1A, also known as Old Highway 85 in Newcastle. The project is contracted to be completed by Nov. 30.
Work to replace the Old Highway 85 railroad bridge south of Newcastle is set to begin the week of March 9, according to a March 2 press release from the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
WYDOT and its contractor, Rieman Corp., will begin replacing the railroad bridge located on County Road 1A, also known as Old Highway 85. The project is contracted to be completed by Nov. 30, 2026.
During construction, County Road 1A will be closed to traffic at either end of the project, although access to all property along the road will remain available.
The Weston County Commission applied for and received funding through WYDOT’s Bridge Replacement Off-System program to assist with replacing the deficient bridge. The BROS program is federally funded and applies to bridges owned by cities, towns and counties on non-federal aid roadways that are open to the public.
WYDOT awarded Rieman Corp. a $4.9 million contract for the project, with 90% of the cost covered by federal funds and Weston County responsible for a 10% local match.
Once construction is complete, Weston County will be responsible for maintaining the structure, while WYDOT will continue inspections and load ratings for federal reporting purposes.
The bridge replacement has been several years in the making.
The Board of Weston County Commissioners first voted on the project April 21, 2020, according to News Letter Journal archives. In 2021, after receiving more than 70 public comments, the board opted to move forward with replacing the bridge rather than removing it without replacement.
Over time, the scope of associated road work has shifted. Preliminary estimates ranged from leaving the 3.63-mile stretch as gravel to fully overlaying it at a significantly higher cost. By fall 2023, the plan called for paving from the edge of Newcastle city limits to Greenhouse Road and completing full-depth reclamation from Greenhouse Road to the bridge.
The upcoming bridge replacement marks the first major construction phase tied to the long-discussed Old Highway 85 improvements.