Emergency road repair forces I-80 closure

The Wyoming Department of Transportation closed Interstate 80 late yesterday to perform some emergency roadway patching.

WYDOT crews were notified late Tuesday afternoon of some extensive pavement damage on a patched bridge section on Interstate 80 near Patrick Draw at mile marker 146. The damaged pavement was within a construction project east of Rock Springs, in head-to-head traffic. To ensure public safety and mitigate the risk of future vehicle damage, crews expedited the repairs, forcing a closure of the westbound lanes.

“We’ve had our eye on that area for a while. With the recent excessive heat, the pavement deteriorated pretty quickly, and we knew we had to make some repairs right away,” WYDOT resident engineer Brad McCullough said.

To perform the repairs within the head-to-head traffic section, the I-80 westbound lanes were closed at 7:26 p.m. Due to active construction in the Rawlins area rendering the primary closure gates inaccessible, WYDOT crews were unable to implement the westbound closure in Rawlins and instead established the closure point in Laramie. The estimated closure time was three-to-five hours.

Due to the severity of the deteriorated pavement, the entire five-hour closure window was utilized to safely complete the work. No further immediate repairs are currently scheduled for the damaged area at mile marker 146. However, drivers should be aware that construction east of Rock Springs remains active in the eastbound lanes, and crews will be returning later this summer to the westbound lanes for some pavement repair work prior to the project’s completion.

WYDOT would like to remind drivers to slow down in work zones, put their phone down and obey all roadside signs and closures.  Unpredictable weather and other variables may necessitate last-minute changes to the plans and work hours may vary. WYDOT remains committed to updating the public with timely information. Drivers can sign up for 511 Notify alerts at https://www.wyoroad.info/511/511NotifyAnnouncement.html.