WYDOT offers town a deal

WYDOT visited with the Moorcroft Town Council Monday night to invite the town to contract with the agency to resurface roadways throughout Moorcroft township when WYDOT begins work on State Highway 14.

The state will begin work in 2025 upgrading corners, milling and overlaying 14 from the intersection with Highway 16 (Converse) north to the bridge just north of Old Sundance Road.

WYDOT district construction engineer Isaac Finkle from the Sheridan office explained how the upcoming project can benefit the town: “If there are streets around town needing paved, it usually helps with the cost to tie onto a bigger WYDOT project.”

If Moorcroft chooses to participate in this venture, the town incurs the entire cost of the actual street work plus 10% preliminary design, 10% engineering and 11% indirect cost allocation plan (mandated by the Federal Highway Administration).

Councilman Ben Glenn agreed with the potential benefit of timing, saying, “We have several streets that we could mill and overlay, no problem. If it was affordable for the town, it would be a smart move for us to do while you’re here.”

After a moment of consideration, Mayor Dick Claar asked, “What if we say yes today and 2025 comes along and we don’t have the money?”

Finkle spoke candidly about the town’s responsibility if work is stopped due to the town cancelling the contract: “You [the town] would be responsible for the cost of the work to that point. That would just be a bill from WYDOT.

If council chooses to move forward with participation, the first step will be contacting the local representative in Sundance to ascertain an estimated cost for each street considered and with that information, the town may move to the second step of sending a letter to the district engineer in Sheridan asking to take part in this peripheral agreement with the state.

The town crews will area measurements and talk with the Sundance office soon to better understand the potential cost of this opportunity.