Blowover potential extreme through Wednesday

   Truck blowovers like this one last year can be deadly.


Wind gusts of 70 mph to 80 mph are being forecast for southeast Wyoming through Wednesday night, making the risk of blowovers on I-80 and I-25 extreme.

"No light trailer" advisories are in effect for sections of I-25, I-80 and other highways around the state. For more information on road closures and advisories go to the 511 Travel Information page.

The weather forecast is for continued high winds  until 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The highest gusts are expected in the Bordeaux area south of Wheatland, on Wyo Hill south of Cheyenne and on I-80 west of Laramie.

Environmental assessment released for WYO 70 project

A proposal to realign a section of slide-damaged WYO 70 (Battle Mountain Highway) in south-central Wyoming has been identified as the best way to restore the route to normal traffic. The proposal is described in an environmental assessment (EA) recently released by WYDOT.
 
During the spring of 2011, a landslide occurred on WYO 70 near milepost 31, about halfway between Baggs and Encampment. The slide destroyed a 1,000-foot length of roadway, and the road was closed to through traffic for several weeks until a temporary, one-lane detour could be constructed.
 
Reconstruction of the road through the slide area was ruled out after geologic investigations found the slide is not only very large, it is likely to continue moving in the future.
 
The proposed project would realign WYO 70 around to the north of the slide area. The new roadway section  would consist of two-12-foot travel lanes with three-foot shoulders to match up with the connecting sections of roadway.
 
WYDOT anticipates the realignment project would require two construction seasons, during which time the existing detour would be maintained. However, because a majority of the work would be off the existing travel corridor, traffic delays would be limited. 
 
Comments on the EA, being accepted though March 15, should be directed to WYDOT’s Environmental Services Program Manager Timothy Stark.

New driver license security requirements in effect


Anyone getting a new driver license or renewing their existing Wyoming license is now required to provide additional documentation verifying their identity to comply with federal security regulations.
Any one of these documents is acceptable to verify identity for U.S. citizens:

  • certified birth certificate; 
  • valid U.S. passport;
  • consular report of birth abroad; 
  • certificate of citizenship; or
  • certificate of naturalization.

Wyoming natives can get a certified copy of their birth certificate from the Wyoming Department of Health’s Vital Statistics Services for $13. Those born elsewhere can find where to get a certified birth certificate by going to http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm .  

Applicants also are required to verify their Social Security number and provide two documents to verify legal residence in Wyoming.

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