Road work, bridge upgrade discussed

by Cat Urbigkit

Sublette County Commissioner Gordon Johnston said he had recently driven from Merna to Dry Beaver and looked at the county’s major road construction and maintenance work. He told Road Superintendent Travis Sour, “It’s impressive.”

Sour updated the commission on county road department activities, and provided the commission with a list of average daily traffic counts on county roads, with the counts taking place last week.

The Pinedale South Road, from the courthouse to the Twin Bridges, has an ADT of 350 to 450. For comparison, the Fremont Lake Road has an ADT count of 472.

The commissioners discussed the Horse Creek Road count, which was 180 ADT, with the road busy with hunting season.

Sour noted that Paradise Road was not on the list, as state officials will soon be providing the county an updated count for that road.

The commission talked about entering into a cost-share agreement with the state for eventual replacement of the Swain Bridge, located near Trapper’s Point and spanning the Green River.

Sour told the commission that the bridge replacement project will be a slow process, probably taking three years, using the state’s “bridge replacement off-system” program.

Johnston reminded his fellow commissioners and Sour that the fishing access issue at the bridge has not been resolved. Sour responded, “Maybe we can incorporate something in when we do the new bridge.”

Johnston reported that he is preparing to do follow-up phone calls to private property owners along the LaBarge Creek Road. Johnston is contacting the five private property owners along the road to learn of their interest in providing easements to the county so the county can make the road a county road.

Sour also reported to commissioners that the Second North Road (near Marbleton) has been brought up to county standards Sour said, so the commission can expect the landowners to come before the commission with request to have the county adopt about a quarter-mile section of the road as a county road.