GILLETTE, Wyo. — Federal dollars could aid the construction of the Mike Enzi Memorial Overpass pending a decision by the Gillette City Council.
During its meeting on May 21, the council will decide whether to authorize Gillette Mayor Shay Lundvall to sign a Federal-Aid Project Agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.
The agreement will enable the city to secure up to $3 million to replace the Gurley Overpass, a project with a $30 million price tag. The city intends to use the funding to take the first steps in getting the project underway including information gathering, preliminary engineering, environmental studies, preliminary drawings, and estimating the total project cost.
Put into service in 1982, the Gurley Overpass is the only bridge in city limits that gives motorists a way over the Burlington Northern Sante Fe railroad. In recent years, the bridge has closed several times to motorists for annual maintenance and resurfacing projects.
Since identifying a definitive need to replace the overpass, the city has sought to fund the project through various means, including a 2022 resolution that sought federal funding to pay for the entire $30 million project.
Last month, the city passed a joint resolution with the Town of Wright and Campbell County authorizing a new excise tax ballot initiative for the upcoming General Election. If approved by voters, the new excise tax will collect the necessary funding for the project.
The council meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 201 E. 5th St.
