WYDOT urges winter preparedness as snowfalls

WYDOT prepares for winter road conditions with two new pieces of equipment. Brian Erickson, supervisor of the Pine Bluffs WYDOT shop and the rest of the staff will be putting in long hours when the winter storms hit. When fully staffed, the six member crew put in 12 hours shifts covering over 330 lane miles of highway between the Nebraska state line and exit 377 to the west of Pine Bluffs as well as south down thru Carpenter. Four trucks are run as well as a loader and grader during the winter months to keep the traffic flowing. The snow plows carry approximately 200 gallons of salt brine to help melt the ice and close to 10 tons of sand (that includes some salt), for traction.

The sand and salt brine is is acquired from contractors by a state awarded contract. Last year they were able to receive the sand and salt brine on an as needed basis up to a certain amount.

Back packs are handed out to the local WYDOT employees and they always have water and snacks with them.

Road closures are determined by combination of WYDOT and Highway Patrol. The area Fire/Rescue can also make the request to shut down the highways due to traffic accidents. A team of "day travelers" can be seen on the highway accessing the pavement condition for the WYDOT website.

On the Albin Community Blog and Classified page on Facebook, you may find road conditions and accidents reported by Jerri Gehrman, as a curiosity to the Albin community. Jerrie leaves Albin very early in the morning Monday thru Friday for her job in Cheyenne and finds time in her busy schedule to make others aware, as they are leaving to brave the "winter" roads.