WYDOT awarded federal RAISE grant for Wind River Canyon resiliency study

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Department of Transportation was recently awarded a $1.62 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant for the Wind River Canyon Corridor Resilience and Feasibility Study.

The RAISE grant will fund a study to guide resilience planning efforts for the Wind River Canyon Corridor along US Highway 20/Wyoming Highway 789. Various risks affecting travel along this vital link between communities will be addressed in the study, including rock falls, landslides, inclement weather and crashes.

The study will present recommendations to improve the corridor's resiliency, including the feasibility of creating an alternate route for improved system redundancy.

"We think the alternate route is worth exploring," said WYDOT Director Darin Westby. "This one canyon thoroughfare has thousands of livelihoods, families, businesses, and tourists depending on it every day. No matter what the study recommends, the knowledge gained will help us better mitigate future challenges."

WYDOT will continue working closely with its partners in this study, including the Towns of Thermopolis and Shoshoni as well as the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation.

The total cost for the study is estimated to be about $1.8 million. WYDOT will likely seek a consultant to complete the study through the agency's typical competitive bid process.

This is the fifth competitive federal discretionary grant awarded to WYDOT in less than two years, totaling to $67.12 million in additional Federal funds for Wyoming infrastructure projects.

"WYDOT is actively seeking ways to continue to invest in Wyoming's infrastructure," Westby said.