Gateway West transmission update, wildfire mitigation and flood response highlighted at County meeting

At the June 6 Lincoln County Commissioners meeting, Gateway West project staff and county emergency and mitigation officials updated the board on major infrastructure and hazard‑reduction work.

Aleta Brown, pre‑construction project manager for Gateway West Segment 4/D.3, reviewed design routes, project components and schedule. She said Segment 4 is planned for construction in 2025 with an anticipated in‑service date in 2027. Next steps include procuring an Engineer of Record, reviewing the Town of Cokeville’s request to route the line south of existing lines where practical, working with landowners to address concerns, and determining county permitting requirements.

Patty Pringle, fuels mitigation coordinator, summarized Alpine Area Wildfire Protection Coalition accomplishments for 2022, outlined 2023 goals and recommended mitigation measures for county residents and county policies to reduce wildfire risk. Emergency Management Coordinator Jay Hokanson updated the board on flood‑mitigation efforts and introduced Alicia Brown as the new Administrative Assistant/911 Coordinator.

Commissioners asked staff to continue outreach to landowners and to return with permitting guidance and further schedule detail as engineering procurement progresses.