Wyoming to upgrade 60-year-old Green River tunnels on I-80

A $6.7 million federal grant has been awarded to Wyoming to upgrade the twin Green River tunnels on Interstate 80 with new safety and emergency systems on a key freight route. I-80 carries Wyoming’s highest truck volume, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 trucks per day, according to the most recent Statewide Freight Assessment report. Also, the section between Green River and Rock Springs carries the state’s heaviest interstate traffic with 23,000 vehicles daily. “Truck drivers from Wyoming and across the nation travel this corridor every day, and we owe it to them and the motoring public to do everything we can to make it safer,” said Kevin Hawley, Wyoming Truck Association president and CEO. A multiple-fatality crash at the Green River tunnel site last year underscored the need to improve safety features for both eastbound and westbound at the tunnels, which opened in 1966. “This investment will provide drivers with better information in advance, helping them prepare for changing conditions before entering the tunnels. The planned fire suppression system will also give emergency responders another valuable tool if a fire occurs,” Hawley noted. “In October, the project received the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects grant, which will pay for 87% of the project. WYDOT has secured more than $179 million in competitive grants over the last five years, including the latest federal award. With this grant, we can further improve safety in the tunnel system by utilizing modern technology and highway safety best practices,” said Keith Fulton, Wyoming Department of Transportation’s chief engineer. “We…

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