Transportation Commission awards $12.8 million in highway contracts

Contracts totaling $12.8 million for six highway projects around the state, including two to be funded with revenue from the fuel tax increase, were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its March meeting in Cheyenne.

Cheyenne’s Simon Contractors and Subsidiaries won the largest of the contracts with a bid of $3.2 million for improvements to nearly 4 miles of US 26 (Valley Road) in Torrington. The work will include isolated concrete slab replacement, milling off deteriorating pavement and replacing it with a new layer of asphalt. Lighting upgrades also are planned and sidewalks and curbs will be upgraded to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The pavement overlay portion of the project between Main Street and County Road 53G will be funded with $783,000 in revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2016.

Simon also was the low bidder at $2.88 million for a contract for patching on nearly 10 miles of highway sections in Albany and Laramie counties by Oct. 31, 2015.

Worland’s McGarvin-Moberly Construction won a $1.97 million contract to grind off deteriorating pavement and replace it with a new layer of asphalt on nearly 4 miles of WYO 28 in the Red Canyon area about 11 miles south of Lander. The project will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent fuel tax increase, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2016.

Knife River of Casper submitted the low bid of $1.96 million for adding turn lanes on WYO 59 at all its intersections with county roads between Douglas and Bill. The work also will include adding rumble strips to improve safety. The contract completion date is June 30, 2016.
Gillette’s S&S Builders won a $1.7 million contract for rehabilitation work on two bridges in the Cheyenne area. The I-25 northbound bridge over I-80 and the College Drive bridge over the Union Pacific rail lines north of Campstool Road will get repairs and modified concrete pavement overlays on their decks. The work is expected to be done by Oct. 31, 2015.

Rumble strips will be installed to improve safety on highway sections around the state under a $1.1 million contract won by low bidder Surface Preparation Technologies of Mechanicsburg, Penn. The longest of the highway sections to get the rumble strips will be on I-80 from the Sweetwater-Carbon County line to east Cheyenne. The contract completion date is June 30, 2016.

In addition to awarding contracts, the commission elected Clair Anderson of Riverton as its new chairman, and K. John Dooley of Laramie as vice chairman. Anderson represents Fremont, Natrona and Converse counties on the commission, and Dooley represents Albany, Carbon and Sweetwater counties.

The commissioners are appointed by the governor and approved by the Wyoming Senate for six-year terms.