WYDOT District 4 outlines six‑year STIP, $60M in Weston County projects and a shift to prioritize NHS routes

Scott Taylor, who identified himself as representing District 4 ("LIDOC district 4 Northeast Wyoming" in the transcript), told county officials the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for fiscal year 2026 will rely heavily on federal funding and include roughly $60,000,000 in projects for Weston County over the next six years. "We're gonna put out to contract over $400,000,000 worth of work that has state and federal funding in it," Taylor said, noting Wyoming's mix in the district is about 30 percent state funds and 70 percent federal.

Why it matters: Taylor said the state lacks the tax base to sustain larger state contributions and that the district's buying power has declined, forcing WYDOT to reprioritize work. "Those blue routes [National Highway System] could be priority," he said, describing a red/blue map showing non‑NHS routes that are likely to receive less attention under constrained revenue.

What WYDOT presented: The district introduced staff and local contacts (including resident engineer Josh Judd and local government program manager Brandy Miller) and reviewed program lines that affect counties: Bridge Formula/bridge replacement funding, the County Road Improvement Program (CRIP), CMAQ discretionary allocations, urban systems, transit and aeronautics lines, and a grants portal on the agency’s website. Taylor said some discretionary bridge funding was nearly quadrupled this cycle and pointed to a set of context‑sensitive amenities (CSAs) that can be added to projects.

Projects and schedules: Taylor summarized specific projects already in or near contract for Weston County: a 2026 railroad‑bridge replacement (about $4.9 million, under contract to a contractor named Ryman), a mill and overlay section between Upton and Sundance, a multi‑mile full depth reclamation (FDR) county‑road project and a Beaver Creek bridge replacement driven by the bridge program (listed at about $4.4 million). He said project details, scope and engineer estimates are available in the online STIP PDF and encouraged public comment through the interactive map and QR code.

Local questions and WYDOT responses: Local attendees asked whether rebuilding remote bridges (for example, the Beaver Creek bridge) is justified given low local traffic. Taylor replied that the location was selected by engineering and budget staff and that federal bridge funds can be used to restore previously existing crossings. He also said emergency access and historical commitments to replace burned or removed spans were part of the rationale: "We promised to rebuild a lot of bridges and held that commitment. Then [bridge] funding went up and now it's 23 [million across projects] because we kept those promises."

Pedestrian safety and crosswalks: Nick Trenton, who identified himself as mayor of Auckland, Wyoming, asked whether WYDOT requires a crash ("a casualty") before installing a crosswalk near the school. WYDOT traffic staff said that is not the case and that they had conducted pedestrian observations to find an appropriate location. The agency offered to continue data collection and coordinate warrants and engineering analysis with local staff.

Workforce and oversight pressures: Taylor flagged significant staffing shortages in District 4—approximately 43 construction positions with around 15 vacancies (about a 35 percent vacancy rate reported in the meeting). He said vacancies, pay disparities compared with neighboring states and relocation barriers reduce recruitment and can force the agency to rely on consultants for oversight. "If we don't have any workers, we're gonna start to consult this stuff out," he told the room.

Quality and procurement concerns: A local official raised a construction quality example (concrete poured over a stump with rebar visible) and said a low bidder had missed a box on the bid form. Taylor acknowledged oversight challenges and said the district is examining procurement and inspection processes while acknowledging limited staff capacity.

Next steps: WYDOT staff asked stakeholders to review the STIP PDF and use the online map or QR code to submit comments. Taylor said the STIP will be finalized with Transportation Commission and Federal Highway review and that the commission is scheduled to approve the STIP on Oct. 1 (the district's fiscal year approval date). WYDOT staff offered to continue detailed, offline follow‑up on grant opportunities, crosswalk warrants and construction access plans.