RAWLINS, WYOMING — The Higley Boulevard bridge over Interstate 80 near Rawlins remains closed nearly three months after a westbound semi-truck drifted off the pavement, crossed the median, and slammed into its concrete supports on July 20 — obliterating one of four columns holding the structure up and damaging it severely enough to require its own separate repair contract.
The City of Rawlins closed the bridge immediately after the crash. I-80 itself was not closed, but the overpass has been out of service ever since. WYDOT said the Exit 214 repairs will go out for bid with bids opening next Thursday. The Wyoming Transportation Commission is scheduled to meet October 15, when contracts can be considered for award. A firm repair timeline will be available once scheduling is finalized.
Why It Is Taking So Long
The Higley Boulevard bridge was not the only damaged I-80 structure WYDOT was already dealing with. Two other bridges — one in Cheyenne and the Exit 211 Spruce Street bridge in Rawlins — were damaged before the July 20 crash and were ahead of it in the repair process. WYDOT handled the Higley Boulevard project as a separate contract as a result.
What Happened
Dramatic video of the crash shows the westbound tractor-trailer drifting off the interstate, barreling through the median in a cloud of dirt, hitting a median cable barrier, and slamming into the bridge supports. The tractor separated from the trailer and continued beyond the bridge on top of the guardrail. The trailer came to rest with the remaining three bridge supports embedded in it. The two people inside the truck survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
A University of Wyoming highway safety engineer who reviewed the video said the median cable barrier likely prevented far worse. Without it, the truck would have crossed into eastbound I-80 lanes at highway speeds. “We would have had multiple, definitely multiple, fatalities,” said Khaled Ksaibati of the Wyoming Technology Transfer Center. “WYDOT prevented that semi from moving into the opposite direction, and they definitely saved lots of lives by doing this.”
Wyoming Highway Patrol has not publicly announced what caused the truck to leave its lane or whether any citations or charges resulted from the crash. The cause remains unknown.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
