Hey Answer Girl -

You need to ask WYDOT why in the world there is a highway 789 in Fremont County. There aren't 789 roads total in Wyoming I bet! I can understand if it was a federal highway as states have no control over their numbering, but a state highway? Why such a high number?

- Cassius Casper Clay

Numbering the highways is a dirty business, but the WYDOT answer guy, Jeff Goetz, said most highway names ending in an odd number run north to south and names ending in an even number run east to west.

"Three digit designations were first used to denote branch highways or spurs," Goetz said. "The numbers were assigned sequentially according to the route they branched from. Later, the numbers were assigned in the order the highway was created."

Wyoming Highway 789 got its name back in the 1950s, when a multistate project to link Nogales, Ariz. to Sweetgrass, Mont. was devised. To get from point A to point B, of course, the road had to go through New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.

According to Goetz, the new highway was mostly comprised of existing roads (like the U.S. Highway 287/Wyoming 789 area between Lander and Muddy Gap).

Although the number was supposed to be used throughout the highway, Wyoming is the only state that still calls the road "789." The road turns into Colorado Highway 13 just south of Baggs and U.S. Highway 310 just north of Deaver.

Personally, I prefer naming roads after presidents and trees. It's so much less complex.

Hey Answer Girl -

With all the talk about the high winds on Wyoming Boulevard, has the Highway Department considered planting trees for windbreaks? They have some living snow fences along Interstate Highway 25 near Cheyenne that have successfully taken root. Casper and Wyoming can always use more trees.

- C.K.

Living snow fences consist of rows of trees and shrubs that act as a barrier. They're used along some Wyoming roads and can be effective at curbing blowing and drifting snow and slowing harsh winds.

But answer guy Goetz said there's a certain science to getting these natural fences to work. They're good at blocking snow and wind, but not both at the same time, he said.

"Living snow fences tend to be less dense than wooden ones, allowing more snow to blow through them, especially during the winter, which results in larger drifts," he said. "To be used as a windbreak, the trees would need to be planted close to the road, and even if not planted as a snow fence, they would tend to act as one anyhow, drifting snow behind them onto the road."

So, Goetz said, any good the fence would do in reducing wind speed would be totally offset by the increase in drifting snow.

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

Ask Answer Girl

Answer Girl tackles your questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit questions by email to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0589. You may also write to Answer Girl, Box 80, 170 Star Lane, Casper, WY 82602.