Earlier today the new West Belt Loop Road connecting WY 220 to WY 20-26 and I-25 opened for traffic for the first time.

The conversation started about a bypass road west of Casper as development along Wyoming Boulevard or Outer Drive continued to slow traffic around the southern edge of the city. The planning started in the early 2000's and construction started in earnest in 2013.

As you can see during the driving tour, the bypass travels through some pretty flat open country with a crossing of the North Platte River and a crossing of the original Oregon Trail along the way and is a quick way to get from the west side of Casper to I-25 and the north  side of town. The road is a two-lane with speeds to 65 mph and no stops from WY 220 to WY 20-26.

According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation the total cost of the project was $36 Million with 90% of that being federal funds.

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