CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Transportation is nearly done with creation of its 25-year Long Range Transportation Plan, which takes public feedback to outline its top priorities for the next quarter-century.
As the organization continues to take public feedback, it is also informing the public of potential funding challenges and asking for input on how to use its funding to best meet the needs of Wyoming residents, as well as potential avenues to increase its revenue.
Between increasing fuel efficiency, increasing construction costs and a stagnant gas tax revenue, WYDOT estimates an annual funding gap of $200 million.
Over the last decade, WYDOT’s construction costs have increased 42%, and its primary revenue sources have remained relatively flat.
Wyoming has not increased its state fuel tax since 2014, when it went from 14 cents to 24 cents per gallon. The number of vehicles registered in the state has decreased over time, and there is a cap on how much the agency can receive from mineral royalties and severance tax.
However, WYDOT is expected to receive additional funds beginning in October 2026 after House Bill 33 was passed by the Wyoming Legislature earlier this year. It provides around $70 million in additional transportation revenue due to the transfer of sales and use tax on vehicles and trailers to the highway fund.
This year, WYDOT is expected to receive $818.2 million from its revenue sources; 57.4%, or $469.4 million, of that goes toward the highway improvement program, which utilizes 70% federal dollars and the remaining 30% from the state.
The other biggest expenditures include 15.4%, or $129.9 million, for maintenance and operations, and 6.6%, or $53.7 million, allocated for law enforcement expenses.
As part of this long-range plan, WYDOT is asking the public and industry stakeholders how they should balance budget challenges with Wyoming’s priorities.
There is an online survey available until Aug. 9 at wydotlrtp.com/meeting2, and feedback is accepted by email, mail or phone calls, as well. The email address is connect@WYDOTLRTP.com, and the U.S. mail address is WYDOT Headquarters, 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009-3340.
The survey asks participants to rank their preference on where the transportation agency should invest, including things like maintaining pavement, replacing bridges, public transit and new roads.
It also asks in what ways Wyoming residents would consider contributing to fill the funding gap, including options like increasing the fuel tax rate, increasing the vehicle registration fee or implementing a mileage-based user fee.
“It’s meant to gather ideas and just strategize in a new way,” said Jordan Young, WYDOT’s deputy public affairs officer. “I don’t want folks to think that these are all things that we’re definitely going to be doing. It’s just kind of getting ideas, taking the temperature on what the public is feeling.”
She said this stage of the plan is very high level, and not determining any specific projects. That decision falls under the State Transportation Improvement Plan, which takes public feedback on specific projects when WYDOT is determining what to prioritize. This step of the process only focuses on where to strategically allocate funding to work toward common goals and how to potentially acquire more funding.
As the public comment period for this plan is still open, Young said it is too early to say which priorities are the frontrunners so far, but that will be outlined in the final plan, expected to be finalized sometime this fall.
“I think there is a big push from the agency to try to get out of this preservation-only mode. You know, we’ve been really focusing on maintaining what we have, which is great. We want to make sure we have a really great driving surface for everybody,” she said. “… And I think we also want to look at some of those capacity improvements, dividing more highways, adding more turn lanes, and those quality-of-life things that people appreciate and learn to really look for in different towns as they’re growing.”
Though Young didn’t say if WYDOT anticipates approaching the Wyoming Legislature for additional funding anytime soon, she said the data collected from this public comment period – both quantitative and qualitative – could be useful information to have going forward if they decide to pursue any extra funding.
On the survey website, there are several testimonials provided, including one from Dan Benford, executive director of Associated General Contractors of Wyoming.
“The highway system is our number two asset in Wyoming – only behind the people of Wyoming. I believe it is absolutely vital to the economy,” he wrote.
Another testimonial comes from Jim Magagna, executive vice president of Wyoming Stock Growers Association.
He wrote, “WYDOT is a true partner in the enterprise of running livestock in Wyoming with highways all over the state.”