The expansion of Wyoming Highway 220 from Casper to the Narrows near Goose Egg will improve safety and traffic flow, a representative of the Wyoming Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

Construction will occur on the section of road where the existing highway turns from four lanes to two, Susan Sherwood said at a community meeting at the University of Wyoming Agriculture Extension building in Casper.

"The design of the road is fine, but it's the mixture of truck and car traffic on the road that's a problem," Sherwood said. "This is really being built to help people be more safe according to how they behave on the road."

The road's current two-lane design encourages illegal passing of slower vehicles and stopped traffic during left turns, she said.

"This is one of our highest safety concern roads in Central Wyoming because of the kinds of traffic, speeds, turning points and turning into two lanes," Sherwood said.

The reconstruction will create a 4-lane divided highway all the way to the Muddy Gap area, and will include acceleration lanes and turn lanes at each of the highway's access points, she said.

"Every time you change the speed of traffic flow, you risk getting into rear-end accidents," Sherwood explained. "This will help to stop interrupting traffic."

Most residents, she said, are relieved that the road will be safer. Overall, landowners are not complaining about construction or land acquisition, she said.

"We already have an established right of way, but there are some pieces or portions of land that we're going to have to acquire," Sherwood said. "If we were to expand on certain sides, we'd take out trees or people's front yards or their houses. We've made slight design modifications to move the road away from people's houses and away from trees."

WYDOT hasn't yet bought the necessary land, but it plans to begin the purchasing process within next year. Sherwood said that because the project started almost five years ago, all landowners involved have been notified.

Dollie Phillips, who said she's losing about 40 acres of property to the new construction, doesn't mind the highway expansion.

"I guess if it's got to be then it's got to be," she said. "I know we're getting bigger, so we need this."

Sherwood said the project will be let in late 2010, with construction taking place during the summers of 2011 and 2012. The road should be finished by mid-2013 at the latest.

"It'll pretty much be the same, just safer and with better traffic flow," she said.

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