No pavement for Old 85
Citing cost, commissioners vote for gravel
The Board of Weston County Commissioners voted on April 16 to return to the original plans for Old Highway 85 that will include full-depth reclamation, or FDR, of the road instead of paving a portion. The board cited costs associated with the project as the reason for decreasing the scope of the project.
Originally, the board had decided to use the CRIP, or Commission Road Improvement Program, through the Wyoming Department of Transportation to complete a full-depth reclamation with an October 2022 estimated cost of $869,083. At the time, Scott Taylor, WYDOT district engineer for District 4, had told the board that the project would be funded 85% by the CRIP program, with a 15% match from the county.
According to Taylor, original preliminary estimates varied widely, ranging from $135,000 for leaving the entire stretch a gravel road to approximately $2 million to perform a pavement overlay on the 3.63 mile stretch.
The scope of work presented in 2022, Taylor said on Sept. 7 of that year, was to pave from the edge of city limits to Greenhouse Road. From Greenhouse Road to the replacement bridge was scheduled to have full-depth reclamation completed without paving.
After hearing concerns from the public, however, the commissioners decided to reconsider the project’s scope in October 2022. After public discussion, the board decided to change the project’s scope from full-depth reclamation and gravel to complete paved reconstruction, Taylor explained when the project was being evaluated at the commissioners’ meeting on March 6 of this year.
According to Taylor, this change in scope initially increased the cost to roughly $3 million, and that cost has now increased to just under $4 million. Because of the way the CRIP project is funded, with a maximum of $3 million funded by the state, it means the county has seen an estimated increase in costs of $662,000 for the project.
Commissioner Nathan Todd cited the $662,000 increase as a reason the board should reconsider the scope of the project, noting that the costs to the county could increase even more by the time the project is undertaken when it is scheduled in 2028.
Taylor acknowledged the increase, explaining that he did inform the board at the time of the reconsideration that the change in scope would significantly increase the costs associated with the project.
When asked by Todd what the county would be responsible for if the commissioners were to decide they could not afford the project, Taylor said the county would be responsible for preliminary engineering fees, per the signed agreement.
It was noted by Taylor that the project could also be paused or delayed.
The commissioners agreed with the concerns raised by Todd, holding a public discussion on the project during their April 2 meeting. At that time, no decision was made, but on April 16, the board once again discussed the future of Old Highway 85.
“After talking with Scott, I honestly believe we need to FDR it. We would have a good road by the end of the day,” Todd said.
Concerned citizens living on the road were in attendance, but they did not state their names when speaking to the commissioners. One individual did say that the people “living out there” would like to see the road paved, but the main concern expressed amongst the group was the timing of completion.
After listening to the uncertainty and concerns expressed, the board voted unanimously to change the scope of the project from fully paved to an FDR with a gravel road.
As a result of the decision, Taylor told the News Letter Journal, there is currently no scope for the project and the board will work to develop one. Once that occurs, a cost estimate and timeline for completion will be provided.