Transportation Commission awards $12.2 million in highway contracts

Contracts totaling $12.2 million for 10 highway projects around the state, including one made possible by increased fuel tax revenue, were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its April meeting in Cheyenne.

Sletten Construction Co. of Great Falls, Mont., won the largest of the contracts with the low bid of $4 million to build a new bridge over the Shoshone River near the Willwood Diversion Dam midway between Cody and Powell. The existing bridge passes over the top of the dam and is a single lane. The new bridge will be built about 100 yards downstream and will be wide enough for two lanes. Work is expected to begin in May, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2016.

Concrete Foundations Inc. of Douglas was the low bidder at $3.3 million to mill off deteriorating pavement and replace it with new pavement on US 20-26-87 (Richards Street) between Fourth Street and Mesa Drive in Douglas. The work will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase. A final layer of pavement will follow next year, with a contract completion date of June 30, 2016.

Patching will be completed on highway sections in Lincoln, Sweetwater, Teton and Uinta counties under a $1.5 million contract won by H-K Contractors of Idaho Falls. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2015.

S&L Industrial of Cowley submitted the low bid of $1.2 million for upgrading guardrails on highway sections in Campbell, Crook, Johnson and Sheridan counties by Sept. 30, 2016.

Casper’s Oftedal Construction was the low bidder at $1.2 million for guardrail upgrades on nearly 8 miles of WYO 220 between the new four-lane section and Government Bridge south of Casper. The work is scheduled to be done by Oct. 31, 2015.

Knife River of Casper was awarded a $345,000 contract for isolated concrete slab replacement and a pavement overlay on Lincolnway between Capitol and House avenues in Cheyenne. Work is not expected to begin until after Frontier Days, and no work will be allowed on Fridays. All the milling and paving work will be done at night. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2015.

Also awarded during the meeting were contracts for:

• $273,000 to Traffic Safety Service of Bismarck, N.D, for installing thermoplastic pavement markings on highway sections in Big Horn, Fremont, Hot Springs, Park and Washakie counties by Oct. 31, 2015. The thermoplastic markings last longer than standard paint, and are used at intersections and in high traffic areas;

• $221,000, to Traffic Safety Service of Bismarck, N.D, for installing thermoplastic pavement markings on highway sections in the Cheyenne area by Oct. 31, 2015;

• $143,000 to American Pavement Marking & Products of Layton, Utah, for installing thermoplastic pavement markings on highway sections in Sublette, Sweetwater and Teton counties by Oct. 31, 2015; and

• $62,000 to A&H Co. of Ironton, Minn., for installation of signs along highways in Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston counties by Oct. 31, 2015.