Fremont County road department seeks $3.5 million for one-mile reconstruction, flags several bridge repairs

The Fremont County road department asked the Board of County Commissioners to budget $3,500,000 to reconstruct an approximately one-mile stretch of county road and detailed multiple bridge and maintenance projects that the department said it must address this year.

The department’s representative said the one-mile reconstruction is the largest single project in the department’s capital plan and cited engineering estimates and public-safety concerns, including a fatal crash on the route in an earlier winter. The official said plans are about 90% complete and that the department aims to bid the work this fall or winter.

The request matters because the county’s road fund shows a growing gap between projected revenues and proposed spending. Department staff told commissioners the road department is facing roughly a $500,000 shortfall this year after projected revenues of about $1.9 million against planned expenditures near $2.4 million; the department proposed cutting two vacant positions, reducing overtime and some operating lines to shrink the gap.

Road staff described several other capital items: a local guardrail project on a steep section of East Fork near DuBois, welding and structural work on an older bridge to extend its useful life rather than replace it, and an engineering review of bridge elements that may require rope-access welding. The staff said a state-backed bridge replacement that had been estimated at $10 million to $12 million received bids over $16 million, prompting the state to back out; county staff argued that doing structural repairs and putting a new driving surface on the existing structure could extend the bridge about 15 years.

Staff also said the county plans to partner with the City of Riverton on the Riverview project (from Spire to Ryan Road), and that the county’s one-percent (local option) allocation would contribute $2.5 million toward the county’s share. The department said it also expects a $208,000 federal BROS (or similar) allocation toward the Haymarket Bridge work and is budgeting $2 million for work on another failing span near Kinnear (identified in materials as Willow Bridge).

On routine maintenance, the department proposed about $1,000,000 for graveling and $800,000 for hot-mix paving, plus line items for striping, guardrail repair, salt and sand for winter operations, and bridge engineering and overlays. Staff noted equipment replacement and a $100,000 equipment release from the road construction fund that can be banked.

Commissioners and staff discussed staffing and contingency options: the department lost two employees (one retired, one resigned), plans to not immediately refill both positions, and is exploring contract drivers and seasonal hires rather than full-time replacements to limit benefit costs. The road foreman, Bruce Snyder, was named during the discussion as one of the foremen who would step in for overtime or operations if necessary.

Commissioners voted (consensus) to tentatively accept the transportation budget as presented with two vacant positions removed and to restore $25,000 to the department for pay-scale (SOC) adjustments; they left open other revenue or reserve decisions pending a later review of countywide shortfalls and the balancing account.

County staff cautioned that the proposed cuts and use of reserves are tentative and that the commission will reconvene budget decisions if revenue projections change or an emergency (for example, a heavy snow season) requires additional spending.