WYDOT to host public meeting to discuss Hams Fork Road problems

Theresa Davis, Gazette Editor
Posted 10/4/17

“WYDOT has met with the contractor to discuss the final product and an appropriate course of action. WYDOT officials and engineers will be at the meeting to answer any questions residents may have concerning the work,” according to a WYDOT press release announcing the public meeting.

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WYDOT to host public meeting to discuss Hams Fork Road problems

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Recent work on the Hams Fork Road has left many Kemmerer residents unsatisfied. Many of them say the road is worse than it was before the ‘improvements.’ (GAZETTE PHOTO / Theresa Davis)

The Wyoming Department of Transportation will host a public meeting on Thursday, Oct. 12, to discuss the pavement rehabilitation project on Wyoming Highway 233, known as Hams Fork Road.

The public meeting will be at 6:00 p.m. at the Best Western Plus Fossil Country Inn and Suites in Kemmerer. 

The road changes have angered a large number of Kemmerer residents, who have made their concerns known to WYDOT representatives.

According to WYDOT, the meeting will include a short presentation by engineers about the current status of the roadway and future of the job.

“WYDOT has met with the contractor to discuss the final product and an appropriate course of action. WYDOT officials and engineers will be at the meeting to answer any questions residents may have concerning the work,” according to a WYDOT press release announcing the public meeting.

WYDOT also said engineers and officials at the meeting will discuss proposed corrective measures for the road and the timeline on which they will be completed.

This public meeting comes after dozens of Kemmerer residents complained to WYDOT about the road work, which included grading, full depth reclamation and chip seal on nearly 20 miles of the road.

“The State Highway Department has accepted poor-quality work thinking that this is a little podunk road that no one drives on and it doesn’t matter,” wrote Bob and Joy Fox in a letter to the Gazette. “What they don’t realize is that there is actually a lot of recreation traffic year round.”

Larry and Megan Alexander also wrote a letter to the Gazette about the road work.

“The problem is that the finished product is ‘washboarded’ and is so bumpy your vehicle is shaken to pieces by traveling on it,” the Alexanders said.

“We are saddened by the fact that if WYDOT wasn’t able to pave the road due to budget cuts, that they chose to do anything at all. We believe we would have been better off if they had done nothing instead of wasting their money on a lesser-quality end product,” the Alexanders continued.

Concerned residents say the  road will only get worse as winter weather, along with freeze-thaw cycles, sets in.