A portion of the Chief Joseph Highway will undergo nearly $10 million worth of maintenance and improvements over the next two construction seasons.

Last month, the Wyoming Transportation Commission contracted with a Lovell-based company to mill, overlay and chip seal 8.5 miles of the highway and rehabilitate two bridges. The work includes the replacement of a partially collapsed pipe with one that will be easier for fish to traverse.

At its Nov. 21 meeting, the commission accepted the lone, $9,822,000 bid from Mountain Construction Company to complete the job.The offer came in $2.4 million, or 32.5%, above the engineer’s estimate. However, Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) staff still recommended moving forward.

In a report to the commission, staff said they had tried to account for the remoteness of the site in their estimate, but “the difficulty of hauling any material on Chief Joseph Highway was more than anticipated.” The work site is about 55 miles from Cody, as the project covers the first 8.5 miles of Wyo. Highway 296 — starting from its intersection with the Beartooth Highway (U.S. Highway 212) . Additionally, the short building season in the mountainous area, limits meant to accommodate wintering big game and restrictions on when crews can work in the stream, also played into the higher-than-expected bid, the report said.

“... re-bidding would not likely pull in additional bidders and would probably result in higher cost,” staff wrote.

Under its contract with the state, Mountain Construction needs to complete the job by June 30, 2026. While a firm timeline has yet to be laid out, WYDOT spokesman Cody Beers expects most of the work will take place in 2025; that includes the installation of the new fish-friendlier pipe through Oliver Gulch, on the Cody side of Crandall Creek.

“There will be a detour there next summer,” Beers said.

The work carried over into 2026 will likely include the chip sealing and cleanup, he said.