U.S. 16 CatchNet Deployed – Stops Runaway RV and Concessions Trailer at Second Gate

The Wyoming Department of Transportation maintenance and patrol received notification at
7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 29, that the CatchNet system on U.S. 16 west of Buffalo had been deployed. Upon arriving at the scene, troopers found that an RV and a concessions trailer had entered the arrester system and were stopped at the second gate.

The RV and trailer were totaled. U.S. 16 was closed to traffic for several hours while emergency services and WYDOT maintenance staff attended to the crash. Six individuals were injured in the crash and were transferred to the Johnson County Healthcare System in Buffalo and have been reported as doing well after receiving medical attention. WYDOT maintainers are in the process of clearing the debris from the crash and will then replace the two arrester nets that were deployed and expect to have the CatchNet open as soon as possible.

A truck arrester catch-net cable system is a series of 8 to 10 cable nets that span across a long, narrow ramp adjacent to the highway used to stop runaway vehicles. They are typically installed on mountain passes or highway routes with a steep grade of 6% or more. WYDOT reminds motorists traveling down steep mountain passes to always check their brakes prior to
heading off any mountain pass.