Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2017: Beartooth Highway Reconstruction Project

On March 9, 2018, the US Department of Transportation announced that Wyoming, along with 40 other states, received a 2017 TIGER grant. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) applied for and received the full requested amount of $16.6 million to complete the Beartooth Highway reconstruction project.

Beartooth Highway (US 212) was originally constructed in the 1930s. It links Red Lodge, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park’s northeast entrance. The full extent of the highway stretches 67 miles from Cooke City, Montana, to Red Lodge, Montana, dipping down into Wyoming and intersecting with the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WY 296), which provides access to Cody. In addition to being a route to Yellowstone, Beartooth Highway is a Scenic Byway and All-American Road. Until now, all but one segment of the highway has been reconstructed.

With the funds from this TIGER grant, the last 1.6 miles of Beartooth Highway through the Beartooth Gorge will be reconstructed, completing the overall reconstruction project. This final reconstruction will focus on roadway surface; road alignment; travel lane and shoulder width; drainage facilities; bridges; parking areas; pullouts; and access road intersections.

Upon completion of the reconstruction, the Beartooth Highway will:

• Comply with current maintenance equipment and practices (snow plowing and storage), • Safely accommodate current and future traffic volumes or vehicle types (oversized vehicles and snow plows); and • Improve access to stops on the route (including businesses, trails, and lakes).

Project Segment Awarded 2017 TIGER Grant

JTC - June, 2018

WYDOT receives $16.6 million federal grant for final segment of Beartooth Highway March 14, 2018 The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently awarded the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) a $16.6 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to reconstruct the final 1.6 mile segment of the Beartooth Highway (US 212) in northern Wyoming. The grant will bring the entire stretch of US 212 up to modern standards and will complete the reconstruction of the full 67-mile length of the highway. The USDOT selected the Beartooth project based on several criteria including safety, state of good repair, economic competitiveness, quality of life and environmental sustainability. It also selected the Beartooth project based on the innovation of the project and partnerships involved. "We're pleased that the federal government awarded this grant for this important stretch of road," said WYDOT Director Bill Panos. "This work and these funds are vital to ensure the integrity of the road in years to come." WYDOT is part of the Beartooth Steering Committee, which also includes the Montana Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Yellowstone National Park, U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming and Montana Congressional staff, and other federal, state, and local officials, tourism and community development organizations, and several nongovernmental organizations. This group has been working together to address the needs of the Beartooth Highway for nearly 25 years. "The planning, design, construction and funding for these series of projects required extensive partnership and coordination," said Gregg Fredrick, WYDOT chief engineer. "This project wouldn't have been possible without the collaboration of everyone involved. The road is not included in the state highway system, which means a partnership like this is vital to getting this road reconstructed." Officials decided to break the reconstruction of the highway into seven segments and used a variety of funds to cover the costs. This is the second time WYDOT received a TIGER grant for the Beartooth Highway. This final phase of reconstruction extends from milepost 24.5, just west of the Clay Butte Lookout turnoff, to milepost 26.1. The work will include widening the road, improving road surface and drainage, replacing substandard bridges, constructing retaining walls to minimize environmental impacts, adding guardrails and signage, improving shoulders for bicyclists and adding roadside pullouts. Crews are currently working on a section of road between milepost 28.4 to 31.5, also part of segment four, which officials anticipate will be completed by fall 2018. That project is $13.8 million and addresses similar issues. For additional information about this news release, contact Aimee Inama, senior Public Affairs specialist, at (307) 777-4013. BACK TO NEWS

IX AWARDS

Rural Award Urban Award Urban & Rural Award Beartooth Highway Reconstruction Project

APPLICANT/SPONSOR: Wyoming Department of Transportation

Rural TIGER GRANT AWARD: $16,600,000

TOTAL PROJECT COST: $30,400,000 Rural

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project will reconstruct approximately 1.6 miles of Beartooth Highway (U.S. Highway 212), completing a reconstruction of the full 67-mile length of the highway. The reconstructed segment will include two twelve-foot travel lanes and, to accommodate bicyclists, two three- foot shoulders on each side. Improvements will also include the addition of a new bridge to improve road geometry.

WYOMING

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS AND BENEFITS: The project enhancements will result in a roadway that will be compatible with current maintenance equipment and practices, including snowplowing and snow storage. The surrounding area relies heavily on tourism and the Beartooth highway is the only access to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The project will provide improved accommodations to a variety of transportation modes and enhance the user experience through increased access to stops on the route including trails, sights, and lakes. The project also provides interpretive areas along the corridor that can be utilized by the traveling public and will include historical, geological, and wildlife educational information. This project received the FHWA Strive For Excellence Team Award and the Regional Forester’s Honor Award-Caring For the Land Stewardship.