Road work begins on Skyline Drive
Summer traffic delays of up to 20 minutes possible up to White Pine
by Bridger-Teton National Forest
July 28, 2015
PINEDALE, WYOMING - The Skyline Drive, which is located 3 miles north of Pinedale, Wyoming in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, is currently undergoing much needed reconstruction to enhance its safety.
This 15 mile-long paved road (Forest Road #37-740) provides spectacular views of the Wind River Range, Fremont Lake, and much of the Pinedale valley. During the summer and fall, this road provides access to the popular Elkhart Trailhead, Wind River Resort, Half Moon Lake Resort, Half Moon Campground and Boat Site, dispersed campsites, OHV routes, firewood gathering, and hunting opportunities along its 15 mile length. In the winter, this road also provides access to the White Pine Ski Resort and groomed cross-country ski trail system on the National Forest.
Approximately 7 miles of Skyline Drive will be reconstructed over the next two years, beginning at the Fremont Lake Road junction (FS 37-741) and ending approximately 1 mile north of the turnoff to White Pine Sky Area (FS Rd 37-747). Construction will occur during the summer and fall of 2015 and 2016, during which time the roadway will remain open to the public with estimated delays of up to 20 minutes. Road closures or delays during the winter are not expected.
This project is necessary to improve the safety, usability, and longevity of this portion of Skyline Drive. Safety concerns include an abrupt drop-off to unpaved shoulders, narrow width of road surface, short sight distances due to excess vegetation, limited informational signing, and limited availability of parking pullouts. Additional safety concerns involve winter use and snowplowing of this road to access the White Pine Ski Area and cross-country ski trail system.
The roadway will be widened to more safely accommodate two-way traffic and realigned in several locations to reduce sharp turns. Shoulders will be extended on both sides of the roadway, culverts will be replaced, and the Surveyor Creek timber bridge will be replaced with a metal arch pipe. Other improvements include removal of vegetation impeding visual site distance, installation of new guardrails, and addition of pullouts and informational signing in selected areas.
The Skyline Drive Reconstruction Project is a cooperative project involving the Central Federal Lands Highway Division, Sublette County Roads & Bridges, Bureau of Land Management, and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Funding for this project will be provided by Central Federal Highways and Sublette County Roads & Bridges, with Central Federal Highways responsible for administering the contract.
The reconstruction contract was recently awarded by Central Federal Highways to Hooker Creek Construction, Inc., from Red Bluff, California. The contractor has begun clearing the road right-of way, and plans to remove and transport rock to a preapproved holding and processing site along Skyline Drive, where rock will be crushed for use on the project. The project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2016. Upon completion of this long-overdue reconstruction project, Sublette County Roads & Bridges will assume year-round maintenance of the newly reconstructed 7 mile segment of Skyline Drive.
For more information about this project, contact South Zone Natural Resource Manager Cindy Stein at (307) 367-5717.
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