Tongue River Pathway Board Launched

A newly established citizen board has begun work to support the Tongue River Pathway project in northern Sheridan County. The Tongue River Pathway Board of Directors will work with the Town of Ranchester, who is the project sponsor, to generate maintenance funding, as well as providing public information and community outreach for the six-mile long project as construction begins in the coming months. Board Chair Bill Bensel said Governmental entities as sponsors of this project are limited to making grant applications and providing project oversight, so a major duty of the Tongue River Pathway Board is promotion and fundraising for trail upkeep. Bensel added that they are fortunate to have such an enthusiastic group of eight community members who will make the trail project a positive reality for everyone in the Tongue River Valley.

Recent Tongue River path making efforts began in 2018 with a National Park Service planning grant that gathered public input from Ranchester and Dayton communities.  Since then, multiple public presentations have been made with positive support  for construction of a non-motorized route between these communities. The hard surfaced  trail will create a safe off-highway route for students traveling between the three northern School District One schools, two community centers, and Art Badgett pool. Residents and visitors will be able to walk  and bike along the concrete handicap accessible path as phased construction ties together the towns of Ranchester and Dayton. The trail has been designed for placement in  the north Highway 14 right-of-way, separated from regular motorized vehicular traffic.  

Trail engineering design for the entire project has been funded through a Wyoming Department of Transportation,  Transportation Alternatives Program Grant.  Construction of the Phase 1 section west of the town of Ranchester could begin in 2025 with a successful selection of the town’s $1million grant application that may be approved this November.  The town of Ranchester is the grant sponsor/applicant. Looking to the future, the Tongue River Pathway board by-laws call for consideration of additional pathway connections throughout Tongue  River Valley. You can click here to learn more about the pathway,