WYDOT shows progress on the I-25 bridge over Walsh Drive in Casper

On Wednesday, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) posted pictures of their progress on the I-25 bridge, which is replacing the overpass with one, shorter bridge structure.

Get our free mobile app

"The pair have towered over Walsh Drive for years, and once allowed trains to pass underneath, moving freight on an east-west path to the Glenrock area. However their age and design have led to increasing costs for maintenance over the past decade or so. Frequent issues have arisen with expansion joints, water retention after storms or snow events, and seemingly endless hours and materials spent patching the surface. The current bridges are curved and boxed - basically sealed from the outside - which has helped cause deterioration within the superstructures" according to the WYDOT Road Work Guide.

The project was started on June 1st of last year and is projected to take two years to complete. The project is contracted to be finished on June 30 of next year, but that deadline does not factor in unforeseen delays.

Ames Construction, of Burnsville, Minnesota, is constructing the project. They were awarded the contract in April 2021 for $29.7 million.

The replacement bridges will be approximately 850 feet long each, or about half the length of the current structures. This is the first of three projects on I-25 through Casper over the next six years.

“Because of the size of the existing, and planned structures, there are challenges in constructing this work during the usual construction seasons. Therefore, the project has been sequenced such that we are building detours that will carry all I-25 traffic, both northbound and southbound, for the entire duration of the project,” said District 2 Engineer Mark Ayen.