The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) will pave 13 miles of Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Rawlins to improve the surface.

The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded Interstate Highway Construction Inc., of Englewood, Colorado, a $20.8 million contract for the work in Sweetwater County. The commission awarded that and six other projects totaling $62.7 million at its meeting in September.

For the I-80 work, crews will mill the existing asphalt surface and replace it with concrete, which typically lasts longer. Crews will also replace the Baxter Interchange near Rock Springs by reconstructing the underneath portion of the structure.

The contract completion date for the work is Nov. 30, 2021.

The other contracts the commission approved included paving, chip sealing and road widening work.

Simon Contractors, of Cheyenne, was the low bidder on a $19.8 million contract for the Interstate 80 Winter Freight Improvement Project. WYDOT previously received a federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant for the work.

Crews will install truck climbing lanes on 2 miles eastbound over Halleck Ridge and 3.53 miles westbound between Cooper Cove and Quealy Dome Road.

The project also includes installing Ft. Steele and Quealy Dome truck parking areas, which will each accommodate about 100 trucks.

If the interstate closes, the additional truck parking will enable truck drivers to park safely while they wait for winter conditions to improve. If the interstate is open but conditions are poor, truck drivers can use the truck parking to wait out the storm.

Additionally, the additional climbing lanes will help with traffic flow and will also help prevent secondary crashes when the interstate reopens following a road closure.

The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2022.

The commission awarded Avail Valley Construction LLC, of Afton, a $19.7 million for a 9-mile road widening and reconstruction contract for US 89 between Thayne and Alpine Junction.

Crews will widen the lanes from two to five, creating two lanes northbound, two southbound and a center turning lane. Crews will also perform pavement work on the road to improve the road surface. The contract completion date is June 30, 2022.

Also awarded by the commission were contracts for:

• $1 million to Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell, for a materials stockpiling contract for various locations in Fremont County by June 30, 2021;
• $676,828 to Oftedal Construction Inc., of Casper, for a rock scaling contract on I-80 at the bottom of Telephone Canyon in Albany County by Aug. 31, 2021;
• $515,179 to Northern Improvement Co., of Fargo, North Dakota, for a chip sealing contract on about 13 miles of WYO 159 beginning in Torrington in Goshen County by Aug. 31, 2021; and
• $77,0555 to S&L Industrial, of Cowley, for a slope paving and bridge repair contract on I-80 at the Ft. Steele Interchange in Carbon County by Nov. 30, 2020.