50-year-old US 16 bypass getting an upgrade

Bridge closure expected Thursday

The U.S. Highway 16 Bypass will be closed on Thursday, June 5, according to Laura Dalles, senior public relations specialist for the Wyoming Department of Transportation, District 4, although she noted that the closure depends on weather. 

WYDOT and its contractor, S&S Builders, will close the bypass in its entirety to “provide access and space for contractors to bring in a pump truck and other concrete paving equipment to pour the final portion of the bridge deck,” the information from Dalles says. 

“WYDOT will be closing the bridge by 4:00 a.m. on Thursday and will open once paving operations are complete. This closure is weather-dependent,” Dalles said. “If weather delays the pour, the closure will move to Friday, June 6.”

During the closure, traffic will be detoured through downtown Newcastle for the duration of the closure. 

The paving work will only be the beginning of the end of the months-long construction project though. Following the pouring of the final portion of the bridge deck, Dalles said, more work needs to be done before the project is complete. She said that WYDOT hopes to have the project complete in about a month. 

As previously reported, the department began work on the bypass in late June of 2024. 

The work to be completed includes replacing the bridge deck, guardrail, bridge rail and fencing in the project area. The work was scheduled to be completed in two phases. 

The bridge was  built in 1975. Dalles told the News Letter Journal last year that there were no other significant issues with the bridge other than the overall condition and age of the structure. According to previous reports, the total cost of the overpass overhaul is $5.1 million.