Wyoming Road Safety Funding Shortfall Reaches $600 Million, New Report Finds
Why It Matters
Wyoming’s roads and bridges are the lifeblood of a state where long drives are simply part of daily life — from workers crossing the state for meetings to long-haul trucks rolling down Interstate 80. A significant and growing funding gap now threatens the safety, reliability, and economic backbone that Wyoming’s transportation network provides to residents and businesses alike.
With approximately 148,000 full-time jobs in industries like tourism, agriculture, retail, and manufacturing dependent on the state’s road system, the consequences of continued underfunding extend well beyond crumbling pavement.
What Happened
A new report released by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, concludes that Wyoming faces a severe shortfall in road and bridge funding — one that is expected to worsen significantly in the coming years without corrective action.
TRIP Director of Policy and Research Rocky Moretti presented findings during a virtual press briefing, warning that Wyoming officials are “anticipating to see some deterioration of major roads and bridges” due to inadequate funding. The report also identified the top 25 priority transportation projects the state needs to tackle to improve safety — projects for which construction funding is currently lacking.
Wyoming Department of Transportation Director Darin Westby confirmed that flat revenue streams combined with rising construction costs have forced the agency into a “preservation-only” mode — a strategy he acknowledged is unsustainable. “We can’t keep putting lipstick on that pig and thinking that it’s going to last forever,” Westby said.
By the Numbers
- $600 million — WYDOT’s current estimated annual unfunded transportation needs, up from $400 million as of 2019
- 33% of Wyoming’s state-maintained roads were in poor condition in 2025; WYDOT projects that figure will climb to 37% by 2028, adding nearly 250 additional miles of poor-condition roadway
- 54% — projected increase in the number of state-owned bridges in poor condition between 2024 and 2028, rising from 80 to 123
- $61 billion in goods are shipped annually to and from Wyoming, underscoring the economy’s dependence on a reliable transportation network
- 1.12 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled — Wyoming’s 2024 traffic fatality rate, below the national average of 1.2, though road conditions threaten to reverse that progress
Top Priority Projects
The TRIP report’s top 25 list highlights some of the most pressing infrastructure needs across the state. Topping the list is a $500 million reconstruction of the interchange between I-80 and I-25 in Cheyenne. Second on the list is a $59 million project to widen U.S. Highway 287 from Laramie to the Colorado state line.
Third is a $270 million improvement package along 200 miles of I-80, including truck climbing zones, variable speed limit zones, and chain-up areas. A $60 million widening project on Wyoming Highway 22 between Jackson and Wilson — a critical commuter corridor that also connects Idaho communities of Victor and Driggs to Jackson Hole — also makes the list.
Renny MacKay, director of the Wyoming Business Alliance, said the funding gap hits every sector. “It impacts all of our members,” MacKay said, “and they all know how important roads are to their business and to the safety of their employees, to the safety of their families and the safety of their customers.”
Zoom Out
Wyoming is heavily reliant on federal funding for transportation compared to the national average and surrounding states — a structural vulnerability that leaves the state exposed when federal dollars fall short or construction costs spike. The state’s fuel taxes for gasoline and diesel are the lowest among its six neighboring states, further limiting the revenue base available for road and bridge maintenance.
The challenge mirrors broader infrastructure pressures facing Mountain West states, where vast road networks serve relatively sparse populations and federal dependency is high. Wyoming is also in the midst of major energy and infrastructure transitions — including TerraPower’s groundbreaking on Wyoming’s first nuclear reactor — that will place additional demands on the state’s transportation corridors in the years ahead. Separately, federal land management decisions, such as proposed wild horse removals affecting 750,000 acres of the Red Desert, reflect the complex web of federal-state resource relationships that shape Wyoming’s economic and infrastructure landscape.
What’s Next
WYDOT has been working with the Wyoming Legislature for several years to secure additional transportation funding. The agency is also actively pursuing federal grants and other alternative funding sources to close the gap.
The Legislature’s Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee is expected to examine the TRIP report’s findings. Westby indicated the report will serve as a key tool in making the case for sustained funding increases, as the state works to move beyond its current preservation-only posture before deterioration becomes irreversible — and far more expensive to fix.
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