How Does the WYDOT 2050 LRTP Affect You?
Why does the Wyoming Department of Transportation's (WYDOT) 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) matter to you?
The work WYDOT does involves many aspects of your everyday life. While such things as clearing snow and patching potholes are important, WYDOT does more than these duties. Every day citizens interact with WYDOT staff, projects, and facilities—sometimes without even knowing it. That's why the WYDOT 2050 LRTP is so important to you—this plan gives you the opportunity to provide valuable feedback that factors into all the ways WYDOT will operate in your state for years to come.
- You place an order.
- Freight is hauled across WYDOT-maintained interstates to reach a warehouse/distribution center.
- Your package arrives at the warehouse.
- WYDOT owns, maintains, and builds state highways to transport your package from the warehouse to your home.
- The package arrives at your doorstep.
- More than 1,950 structures
- 40 airports, serving over 1 million passengers per year
- 3,200 inspections
- Over 977,000 registered vehicles
- Average Daily Passenger Vehicle Miles Traveled is 21.1 million
- Average Passenger Vehicle Miles Traveled is 7.7 billion
- Average Daily Heavy Truck Traffic is 4.5 million
- Average Annual Heavy Truck Traffic is 1.6 billion
- Over 1.3 million public transit trips
- 30,247 miles of public road
- 380 at-grade crossings
- 37 information centers and rest areas
Wyoming Multimodal Transportation System
- WYDOT Purpose: Support Wyoming's economy while safely connecting communities and improving the quality of life
- WYDOT Mission: Provide a safe and effective transportation system
- WYDOT Vision: Excellence in transportation
What is the WYDOT 2050 LRTP?
The WYDOT 2050 LRTP will serve as a framework for guiding decisions about the transportation network in Wyoming for the next 25 years (through 2050). The WYDOT 2050 LRTP will use data-driven analysis and input from the public to analyze Wyoming's transportation needs and evaluate scenarios for varying revenue conditions to advance the plan's goals and objectives.
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Trends
Demographic, climate, economic, land-use, transportation
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System Inventory, Condition, and Needs
Review of the current conditions of the transportation system in Wyoming
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Vision, Goals, and Objectives
The goals and objectives to refine planning through the year 2050
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Financial Analysis
Revenue forecasting and needs analysis
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Public and Stakeholder Outreach
Input from the general public in Wyoming on needs and priorities
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Scenario Development
How future funding will impact the transportation system performance in the years to come
Goals of the WYDOT 2050 LRTP
The six primary goals for the WYDOT 2050 LRTP are listed below. These goals are the driving force for the plan as they set the framework for what the plan aims to accomplish.
A brief description of each goal is provided below.
Safety
Improve safety for all transportation system users
Reliability
Expand connectivity and system resiliency
Preservation
Take care of all physical aspects of the system
Economy
Prioritize projects for job access and industry needs
Environment
Reduce projects' impacts on nature and people
Delivery
Exercise good stewardship of our fiscal resources
Connecting Transportation to People
Supporting the Big Three Industries
Wyoming's economy, including the big three, would not be able to function without the services WYDOT provides.
- Mineral The mining, quarrying, oil, and gas industries contributed the most to Wyoming's 2023 GDP, totaling about $6.49 billion.
- Tourism In 2023, tourism in Wyoming contributed $4.7 billion to the state's economy.
- Agriculture Agriculture is Wyoming's third largest industry, contributing $2.5 billion to the state's economy in 2021.
Mineral
Tourism
Agriculture
Sources
- Mineral: U.S. Real Value Added to GDP in Wyoming 2023, by Industry; Statista Research Department, Oct 15, 2024.
- Tourism & Agriculture: https://bit.ly/weda (Tourism: paragraph 14, line 3; Agriculture: paragraph 1, line 1)
Trends Expected to Impact Transportation in Wyoming
18.6% of Wyoming's population is aged 65 or older
Elderly populations that want to stay independent and in their own homes longer often need transit and shared mobility options to access groceries and medical care.
(S0101: Age and Sex - Census Bureau Table - 2022 American Community Survey)
Rising global temperatures lead to more extreme seasons and catastrophic weather events
In the mountainous areas of Wyoming, this can result in rock or mud slides that close passes for weeks or longer. Severe blizzards can close interstates for days and impact the ability for trucks to deliver groceries and other essential items to communities across the state.
(Climate Change: Global Temperature | NOAA Climate.gov)
A rise in e-commerce is expected in Wyoming, helping rural communities to meet their needs
Being able to purchase goods online allows greater access to a broader market in rural areas of Wyoming. Additionally, strong broadband connections provide rural residents the ability to access telehealth services and to get medical care without having to travel.
(USDA Invests $4.79 Million in Rural Broadband for Wyoming | USDA)How is WYDOT's Budget Allocated?
WYDOT receives funding from a variety of sources. State and federal fuel taxes and other revenues, such as driver's license fees, registrations, vehicle fees, royalties, and severance taxes, all support WYDOT's overall budget.
WYDOT's overall budget provides payment for such things as maintaining pavement, safety projects, replacing bridges, adding passing lanes, creating new roads, creating pedestrian and bike projects, and managing/funding public transit vehicles and facilities.*
Click to enlarge
* This does not include all areas that the WYDOT Budget funds, it is just representative of the categories shown in the Budget Allocation Activity located on the next page of the site.
Budget Allocation Activity
WYDOT has limited resources and does not receive enough funding to meet all the state's current maintenance and future improvement needs or to provide services that are important to Wyoming residents.
The following activity provides an opportunity to choose which transportation programs are the most important to you. Acting as WYDOT, use the up and down arrows to indicate how you would like to see an additional, hypothetical $10 million distributed across WYDOT programs.
When you are finished, please push the submit button.
Instructions
WYDOT has limited resources to provide all the services Wyoming residents need. Acting as WYDOT, use the up and down arrows to add or remove funds from different budget areas. Your $10 million will represent an addition to WYDOT's annual budget.
Total Funds:
$10 million
Replacing Bridges
Your $xxx million of additional funding would replace xx bridges.
Maintaining Pavement
To maintain the current pavement condition, WYDOT needs an additional $59 million per year.
Safety Projects
Safety needs are underfunded by $3.3 million per year.
Public Transit
In 2023 Wyoming had 97 small transit vehicles; your $XXX million of additional funding would purchase XX new vehicles.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects
Each year, WYDOT spends around $4.7 million for bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Passing Lanes
Your $xxx million of added funding would add about xx new miles of passing lanes.
New Roads
Your $xxx million of additional funding would add about xx new miles of a two-lane roadway rural flat terrain.
Thank You & Next Steps
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this online meeting. Your input is valuable as we continue to develop the WYDOT 2050 LRTP.
Project Schedule
- Phase 1: System Inventory, Conditions, and Needs (Winter 2024)
- Phase 2: Vision, Goals, and Objectives (Winter 2024)
- Phase 3: Scenario Development and Revenue Forecast (Summer 2025)
- Phase 4: Plan Documentation (Fall 2025)
- There will be three public meetings between each phase
Comment Form:
Project Contacts
WYDOT
WYDOT Headquarters
5300 Bishop Blvd.
Cheyenne, WY 82009-3340
connect@wydotlrtp.com
Laycee Kolkman
Consultant Project Manager
WYDOT
WYDOT
WYDOT Headquarters
5300 Bishop Blvd.
Cheyenne, WY 82009-3340
connect@wydotlrtp.com
Laycee Kolkman
Laycee Kolkman
Consultant Project Manager
