WYDOT opens seasonally closed WYO 70 on June 9

Battle Pass (WYO 70) in southern Wyoming is now open to traffic.

Wyoming Department of Transportation crews reopened WYO 70, which is between Baggs and Encampment, on Thursday morning after finishing snow removal.

“We encountered more snow this year than we anticipated,” said Tim McGary, district maintenance engineer in Laramie. “As always, our crews worked hard to get the pass open and ready for the season.”

WYDOT closes Battle Pass (WYO 70), the Snowy Range (WYO 130) between Laramie and Saratoga, and US 14A between Burgess Junction and Lovell in late fall because of the amount of snow those areas get during the winter. Snowy Range and US 14A reopened toward the end of May.

Crews started working on WYO 70 at the end of May after reopening Snowy Range. Crews from Saratoga worked on the eastern side of WYO 70 while crews from Baggs worked on the western side. Both crews start on their respective sides and meet in the middle.

The amount of snow differed this year than in previous years with crews encountering snow drifts as high as 5 to 6 feet. Warmer temperatures during the day combined with colder temperatures at night made snow removal difficult. During the day, the snow would melt and turn slushy, but then at night the snow would freeze back up.

“The snow would turn rock hard at night, which made snow removal difficult when we got back the next day,” said Scott Kinniburg, foreman in Saratoga. “We had to use dozers to break down the snow.”

During snow removal, there were three snow blowers that went down. However, crews from Baggs and Saratoga were able to get replacement equipment from nearby WYDOT facilities.

When traveling on WYO 70, drivers are urged to use caution because snow melting across the road could turn into ice at night.