JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Buckrail tipped off its readers yesterday that girder construction on the bridge deck south of town on South Highway 89 was going to delay traffic when one lane was closed for the operation. You read, you heeded, you left work early and didn’t stop for a beer or anything.
And you still got screwed.
First off, Wadsworth apologized today as did WYDOT. It was one of those things where there are a lot of moving parts. A subcontractor (two different ones, actually) was crossing the highway with drainage pipes and sewer line for a culvert. That operation, along with the subsequent repaving, was to have taken place during the midday hours—long before the 6pm closure for the bridge.
Unfortunately, these operations ran long and extended until about 5:20pm, holding up a long line of southbound commuters.
“These two operations and the paving crew were late in completing the work and opening the roadway for two-way traffic between 4:30 and 6:30 [WYDOT has instructed Wadsworth to keep traffic flowing between the heavy rush hours in the early morning and late afternoon]. “WYDOT and Wadsworth Brothers apologizes for the delays and appropriate contractual actions are being levied,” said WYDOT’s Bob Hammond. “The delays were not a result of the girder lift that started after 6:30pm.”
For Alpiners and the Hoback Nation, this afternoon’s commute home should be smoother. Bridgework is again scheduled to begin around 6:30pm. After 6:30pm, crews will work late into the night (they were at it until 1am this morning) on the bridge, during which time traffic will be down to one lane.
