WYDOT looking for comments

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The Wyoming Department of Transportation is seeking public comment and review of its 2020 transportation improvement-planning document, also known as the State Transportation Improvement Plan. or STIP, according to an Aug. 4 press release from the department. 
“The STIP contains a listing of highway and bridge projects, airport improvement work, transit and Public Safety Communications Commission projects that WYDOT tentatively expects to contract for during the upcoming fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The final STIP will also incorporate WYDOT’s capital improvement projects. The final approved STIP is published annually and updates are issued quarterly,” the press release states. 
According to Aimee Inama, senior public affairs specialist for the department, the “projects elected for the STIP are based on safety, asset preservation (pavement, bridges, facilities, signs, etc.), mobility and other needs developed from public comment.”
The STIP is a six-year planning document that lists tentative projects for each year, Inama said. 
“This year’s STIP is from 2020 to 2025,” she said. 
According to Inama, the project will focus mainly on preserving the assets the state currently has to “ensure we provide a safe, high quality and efficient transportation system.” 
She explained that WYDOT uses a combination of safety needs, asset management recommendations, public input, performance measure, long-range plans, mobility needs, and budget constraints to develop a listing of candidate projects for the STIP. 
“These projects are presented to the public through the WYDOT website, and public meetings held throughout the state,” Inama said. “Based on the public input, a final listing of projects is developed and presented to the Transportation Commission for approval each year. Each year of the STIP is financially constrained to the available funding. WYDOT works to ensure that the projects selected use the available funds as effectively and efficiently as possible to maintain the transportation system.” 
STIP is a dynamic document, meaning that projects set during a particular year can be moved for a variety of reasons, including schedules, funding, design, environmental purposes, right-of-way and other reasons, she said. 
“However, WYDOT tries to keep the projects scheduled during the first four years as close to the original schedule as possible,” Inama said.
“The last two years are more flexible, and WYDOT can change those scheduled projects easier.” 
Projects within the STIP, according to the press release, are listed by county and note the general character of work for the various transportation system projects. 
Projects for Weston County listed in the STIP include $1,000 in safety improvements south of Newcastle, west of U.S. Highway 85; $95 for operating, administration and maintenance for Weston County Senior Services; and $165 for pavement maintenance in Newcastle for 2020. The total is $1,260 for 2020 in Weston County. 
Beyond 2020, funding projections include $7,171 in 2021 for pavement rehabilitation from Lusk to Newcastle on U.S. 85, $667 in 2023 for buildings in Newcastle, $3,229 in 2024 for pavement rehabilitation from Newcastle to Sundance near the South Dakota state line on U.S. 85 and pavement maintenance in Newcastle and $8,670 in 2025 for pavement rehabilitation from Niobrara County to Newcastle on Blacktail Creek on U.S. 85. 
The draft 2020 State Transportation Improvement Plan is available at dot.state.wy.us/home.html on the department’s website. 
“People can click on the blue box on the right side of the page to access the STIP web page, which contains
the 2020 STIP PDF and the STIP map where people can make comments,” the press release states. 
The public can also submit comments by email through the website or mail to 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009. The deadline for receiving draft comments is Sept. 6. 
For additional information on the press release, contact Inama at aimee.inama2@wyo.gov or by calling 307-777-4013.