Wet conditions lead to cracks, reduced speed limit on Chief Joseph Scenic Highway

Posted 5/29/15

The road damage is near milepost 36, about 10 miles west of Wyoming 296's intersection with Wyoming 120 north of Cody.

The largest crack involves roadway that slumped about six inches, and the cracking occurred in four other locations in this …

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Wet conditions lead to cracks, reduced speed limit on Chief Joseph Scenic Highway

Posted

Damaged roadways due to heavy rainfall will slow down local traffic after cracks appeared in Wyoming 296 last week. The damage is near Northwest College's A.L. Mickelson Field Station, and Wyoming Department of Transportation officials are monitoring the situation northwest of Cody.

The road damage is near milepost 36, about 10 miles west of Wyoming 296's intersection with Wyoming 120 north of Cody.

The largest crack involves roadway that slumped about six inches, and the cracking occurred in four other locations in this area, according to WyDOT maintenance foreman Jim Berry of Cody.

"The highway is open to traffic," Berry said. "The cracked areas have been coned for safety reasons, and a 30 mph speed limit is in effect with two 11-foot driving lanes through the area."

Berry said the Painter Canyon roadway sub-base (under the road) is saturated with water due to recent heavy rains and melting snowpack, and wet May weather has likely contributed to the cracks in the roadway. A WyDOT geologist inspected the coned area this week, and WyDOT officials plan to work toward "a more permanent fix."

WyDOT District Maintenance Engineer Pete Hallsten of Basin said "patching the cracked highway will be a temporary situation."

"We're going to give the area a couple of weeks to dry out. We'll patch the road this summer, and we'd like to take on a 2016 project for permanent repairs," Hallsten said.

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