Ranchester Bridge nearing completion: WYDOT talks challenges faced

Work on the Ranchester Bridge has a light at the end of the tunnel, according to WYDOT Senior Public Relations Specialist for District 4 Laura Dalles. 

The work to replace the bridge was originally scheduled to be completed sometime before the end of 2022, but work on the bridge was postponed on Dec. 20, 2022, due to extreme low temperatures. Crews returned to work on the bridge to Ranchester on Jan. 10, 2023. Due to weather and other delays, the completion of the bridge was pushed back to the beginning of the summer season of 2023.

Appearing with Dalles on Sheridan Meda’s Public Pulse, WYDOT Sheridan Resident Engineer Jake Whisonant informed the public on the reasons crews had a difficult time completing the bridge by the original deadline. 

Crews competed against the weather but the composition of material on which the bridge is built proved the greatest hurdle. Whisonant said that hurdle comes with the local territory. 

Only a few more tasks need to be completed before the bridge is officially finished but traffic can now use both lanes, giving residents of Ranchester a reliable route home.