Fish Creek bridge repair work will begin Oct. 20, closure expected Nov. 3

JACKSON, Wyo. - The Wyoming Department of Transportation and contract crews from Reiman Corp will begin work on the Fish Creek bridge near Wilson, on Wyoming State Highway 22 on Monday, Oct. 20. The initial start of work will be conducted with two-lanes of traffic maintained over the bridge.

Crews will be working on repairing the caps on the structure beneath the bridge deck. The work is scheduled to last a week. Drivers are advised that construction schedules may change due to availability of materials and crews and are weather dependent.

The milling, grading, and paving work will require the closure of the bridge and a detour onto the county roads in Wilson. This work will begin on November 3 and is scheduled to last up to 10 days. The duration of the closure will be dependent on weather and other working factors. The contract allows for a 14-day window of closure, but the contractor and WYDOT are tightening the schedule in an effort to limit the duration of the detour. Crews have elected not to detour traffic until after Oct. 31, the Halloween holiday, for safety reasons.

"With the bridge work lasting until about October 28th or so, it is better for the community to just plan on November 3rd as the start of the bridge closure and use of the detour," WYDOT resident engineer Bob Hammond said.

During the detour, WYDOT will be posting flaggers at West Street and Main Street, as well as at the elementary school during school hours to assist with traffic flow.

In addition, Teton County will be implementing restrictions on vehicles traveling through the detour. More information about those restrictions will be released closer to the detour date. Teton County will also be restricting parking to a minimum distance of 2 feet beyond the edge of pavement, and certain areas will likely be barricaded off using traffic control devices to prevent vehicle parking. The 60,000 lbs. weight restriction on WYO 22, Teton Pass, has been extended through the work area in Wilson as well.

The scope of work for this project involves laying asphalt pavement, repairing bent caps, placing temporary traffic control measures, placing road base, milling plant mix, removing surfacing, and performing excavation near the town of Wilson on WYO 22 at road marker 5.40 at the Fish Creek Bridge. The completion date for the work is Nov. 15, 2025.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation Commission awarded the emergency contract valued at approximately $768,000 for the repairs of the Fish Creek bridge structure in Wilson to Reiman Corp, of Cheyenne. The work was awarded in a special meeting via Zoom on Oct. 1. The structure was scheduled for repairs in WYDOT's State Transportation Improvement Plan in 2028, but earlier this year, WYDOT identified some damage to the cap structure on the bridge during a routine inspection. Although there is no danger of failure, WYDOT had concerns with the bridge's ability to safely support larger vehicles like snowplows without further damage. To safely support heavier traffic, WYDOT proposed an emergency contract to make immediate repairs to the bridge. WYDOT is currently working on plans to replace the structure as soon as the design work and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process are completed, which should be in two to three years.