CASPER, Wyo. — This spring, the Bureau of Land Management and Natrona County Road and Bridge will begin construction on a cooperative project to improve mountain roads south of Casper. Work on Casper Mountain Circle Drive is expected to start as early as May 1, with repairs to Muddy Mountain Road kicking off in early June.
The projects are being completed through the Federal Lands Access and Federal Lands Transportation programs overseen by the Federal Highway Administration. Respectively, the programs fund projects that provide access to federal lands and serve to improve infrastructure owned and maintained by federal land management agencies.
Approximately 2.6 miles of existing paved road along Casper Mountain Circle Drive is nearing the end of its serviceable life and requires full-depth reclamation and repaving. An additional 2.3 miles of currently graveled road will also be paved, and an S-curve area will be widened, ditches will be reconditioned and culverts will be added.
On Muddy Mountain, the BLM plans to rehabilitate and resurface approximately 7 miles of road beginning at South Circle Drive and leading to the BLM’s Muddy Mountain Environmental Education Area. Additional features to improve the safety and durability of the road include performing hillside stabilization, increasing site distance on a switchback leading up the mountain and extending the existing guardrail. Parking areas will also be constructed along the campground loop road to provide additional parking within the environmental area.
Construction is expected to continue throughout the summer and into the fall. Continuous access to the Muddy Mountain area will be provided. During periods of time where Casper Mountain Circle Drive is fully closed, Muddy Mountain Road can be accessed via South Circle Drive from Highway 487.
The Natrona County Ag Extension building on Fairgrounds road in the Casper Room on Tuesday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the National Highway Administration and the contractor will be there to answer questions.
Updates related to the road work on Casper Mountain will be posted on the Natrona County Road, Bridge, and Parks Facebook page, as well as to the Natrona County website. For questions related to construction of Casper Mountain Circle Drive, contact Mike Haigler, Natrona County Road and Bridge superintendent, at 307-235-9311.
