A $5.8 million slide repair project near the 8,070-foot summit of Dead Indian Pass is slated to begin this week on the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (Wyo. Highway 296) northwest of Cody.

Motorists should expect delays of up to 20 minutes, said Wyoming Department of Transportation resident engineer Todd Frost of Cody.

Anticipated working hours are six days a week, 12 hours a day. 

A 12-foot-wide, single-lane detour will be in place during construction, Frost said.

“The detour will be controlled by a traffic signal during non-working hours, and possibly with flaggers during working days,” he added.

A public meeting hosted by WYDOT will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 25, to provide information about the slide repair project. The meeting will take place in the parking lot of the Chief Joseph RV Park near the Clarks Fork River. Residents of the area are invited, along with anyone else who would like to attend.

The slide repair project involves 0.2 miles of the highway at milepost 32.5, which is about 15 miles west of Wyo. Highway 120. The work includes installation of 119 drilled shafts, 39 inches in diameter, to stabilize the slide area.

“Drilling will go 50 to 70 feet deep into bedrock, and the drilled shafts will be connected by a concrete cap,” said Frost. “The slide area/highway will be reconstructed and paved after installation of the drilled shafts.”

A 12-foot width restriction will be in effect through the project.

All of the work except the chip sealing and reclamation must be completed by Oct. 31, Frost said.

Condon Johnson and Associates, Inc., of Kent, Washington, is the prime contractor.