County clarifies, roads not to be closed
Share
Tweet
WORLAND – In response to some public concern and outcry, Washakie County Commissioner Fred Frandson reiterated on Wednesday that the county has no plans to close two heavy-traveled roads, but rather to restrict them to local-only traffic.
The two roads in question, Washakie Ten and the Lower Nowood Road west of Ten Sleep, have seen much recent damage due to heavy out-of-state and semi-truck traffic, and residents have expressed their concerns to the commission regarding high rates of speed along those roads.
“There’s still residential life on those roads,” said Frandson, “and residents of both of those roads have concerns regarding the traffic and the speeds seen there.”
Commissioner Aaron Anderson, during the last commission meeting, noted that of all the issues before the county, the traffic on the Lower Nowood is one he hears about the most, and that residents are all in favor of doing something to limit the amount of travel on that route.
“It’s a big safety concern for us, and right now the county is tight on money to repair the damage to those roads,” noted Frandson.
While the roads already have posted weight restrictions, the county is working with the Wyoming Department of
Transportation to research state aid in rerouting traffic and updating on-board GPS systems to inform drivers that those are local-only trafficked roads.
“Those are farm-to-market roads so obviously they can’t be closed,” said Frandson.
Addressing concerns that have been voiced, accusing the commission of trying to reroute traffic to Worland for economic purposes, Frandson replied that “people read into what they’ve read or heard, when they really should just come to the [commission] meetings.”
“We are not trying to reroute traffic to Worland,” said Frandson. “We are just trying to be safe and keep the roads maintained.”
Under the county’s proposal to the Road and Bridge Department, the roads would have signs at the entrances (and possibly one in Manderson after consulting with Big Horn County officials) warning that the roads have been limited to local traffic only.
The inclusion of the specific ordinance, as suggested by County Attorney John Worrall, would give the Sheriff’s Office the jurisdiction to issue citations for non-residents using the roads.
“We’re basically under-funded to maintain the damage [being created] to those roads, so signage would help minimize any further damage,” noted Anderson.
