The Wyoming Department of Transportation has finalized plans for the new West Belt Loop bypass project and will begin construction of the road in next summer.

WYDOT spokeswoman Susan Sherwood said the new road will make developments near Wyoming Boulevard, the current loop around the west side of town, safer for pedestrians and drivers alike.

"One of the major reasons for this really is the safety and the congestion issues that are going on," Sherwood said. "We have a lot of energy development, and a lot of trucks are coming into what have developed into residential areas."

Sherwood said the new road, which runs through ranchland outside of town, has fewer entrances and exits, which will reduce the occurrence of accidents on the road.

"The more access points you have, the more likely you are to have a crash," she explained. "Crashes happen more often at intersections."

Another safety concern, Sherwood said, involves high wind gusts on Wyoming Boulevard. Three recent wind-related truck accidents, including one fatality, support Sherwood's idea that the highway is too windy for large truck traffic.

"If I say it's a strong wind, that means different things to people from different places," she said. "In Wyoming, we have hurricane-force winds. If we say there's a high wind warning, you have to go another way, but people don't understand that."

And safety isn't the only reason for the new road, Sherwood said. It will also create a convenient bypass route for trucks that don't need to come near downtown Casper.

"You're actually connecting (Highway) 220, which is Rawlins, with the road that goes to Shoshoni and Thermopolis, with I-25," Sherwood said. "And you're getting it away from too many residential areas."

Plans for the road will eventually include a four-lane highway, but for now WYDOT will build only two lanes. The second half of the road will be built if the area's population continues to increase.

Sherwood said that property around the new highway may eventually be developed, but "this won't happen overnight. There are active ranches that go right through there."

Property owners in the area, who were contacted about the project during the early planning stages, are comfortable with the road's plan, Sherwood said, with few exceptions.

"We've worked extensively with the landowners along the way doing all kinds of neat things to work with them," Sherwood said. "In the old days, a long time ago, if they wanted to put a road there, it would just go through the property. But this has been a collaborative effort."

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0589 or megan.lee@trib.com

Road Costs

WYDOT spokesperson Susan Sherwood said that exact costs are impossible to determine thanks to rapid inflation. Within the last two years, inflation for project materials has increased by 15-30 percent. Since planning for the project began six years ago, WYDOT estimates construction costs have increased 150 percent.

Current estimated costs for the first two lanes of the road exceed $50 million, not adjusting for inflation that may occur between now and the project's scheduled completion date of 2013.