WYDOT planning document anticipates bridge replacement in 2026

Pavement rehab work in 2027

The Wyoming Department of Transportation is planning to invest more than $25 million in Big Horn County road improvements over the next two years.

The replacement of the Rairden Lane bridge over the Big Horn River near Manderson, estimated at $4 million, and the Horse Creek Road bridge over Shell Creek near Shell, estimated at $1.9 million, are recommended for 2026 in WYDOT’s new State Transportation Improvement Plan.

Mike Miller, WYDOT’s resident engineer in Basin, said three pavement rehabilitation projects are slated for 2027, including a 7.8-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 14 from Ranger Creek to Granite Pass ($11 million), a 4.5-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 310 coming south out of Lovell ($4.1 million) and a 5-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 14-16-20 west of Emblem ($4 million).

The reinforcement of a slide area where the highway was damaged in the Big Horn Mountains is a little further out, with projected completion in 2030, Miller said.

The complete STIP can found at www.dot.state.wy.us/home.html. Navigate to the STIP web page by selecting Planning/Projects/Research from the menu, followed by the STIP Project Listing subpage, which contains the 2026 STIP PDF and a map where users can make comments or suggest new projects.

The STIP contains a listing of highway and bridge projects, airport improvement work, transit projects and Public Safety Communications Commission projects that WYDOT tentatively expects to contract for during the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. 

Other Big Horn County projects on the horizon in FY 2026 include construction of a pilot’s lounge at the South Big Horn County Airport along with funding for the Greybull and Lovell public transit programs.