Preventive measure — Gravel pit open despite closed gate

Despite local rumors and a closed gate, Laura Dalles, senior public relations specialist for the Wyoming Department of Transportation in District 4, said the state gravel pit has not been closed to the public after an explosive device was discovered on the property earlier this month.

“The pit is not technically closed and public access remains. The gate is not locked but acts as a deterrent to the public that uses that area inappropriately,” Dalles said in an email. “We have had years of vandalism there and the explosive device was the last straw. The gate is not uncommon, and is used extensively at other pit sites and state sections.”

She noted that previous vandalism includes everything from people just going out to the site and “spinning cookies” to shooting.

The explosive device, as previously reported, was located at the gravel pit on Oct. 9. An employee inadvertently brought the device back to the WYDOT building in Newcastle, sparking road closures and the evacuation of the building.

Handling the investigation into the device is the Weston County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Bryan Colvard told the News Letter Journal that the department is still investigating the incident and that the explosive was turned over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

During the conversation last week, he said deputies were waiting to hear back from the ATF with details on the device. While Colvard could not provide details about the bomb, he was able to confirm that the device was not something that was left at the site inadvertently.