The higher gas tax approved earlier this year by Wyoming lawmakers has been in effect for more than five months, and now WYDOT is starting to spend some of the money.

About 10 projects either underway or about to get started, worth roughly $29 million, have been awarded to contractors since the gas tax went into effect.

That's roughly 80 miles of work.

Various projects include pavement overlay on State Highway 28 over the South Pass, about six miles of resurfacing work on I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, and pavement rehabilitation work on the Wind River Canyon tunnels.

Bruce Burrows of WYDOT says the department has been using it's new funds, in the way it was designed to be used.

"We did make the commitment, in following up with the legislative intent, that all of the money received from the fuel tax increase, every penny of it,  will go directly to pavement preservation work."

The fuel tax was raised 10-cents a gallon on July 1st, a move approved by the Wyoming Legislature earlier this year.

Burrows said contracts for an additional nine more projects, could be awarded by the end of the fiscal year, depending on how much tax revenue is generated.

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