LARAMIE, Wyoming, USA — Heavy equipment is rolling, topsoil is being stripped, and staging areas are being locked in.
Construction has officially begun on one of the most strategically important highway widening projects in the American West — a long-awaited upgrade to U.S. Highway 287 south of Laramie, Wyoming, that will transform a notoriously congested two-lane section into a modern five-lane arterial.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), working alongside contractor McGarvin-Moberly Construction, began mobilizing crews at mile marker 404.81 on Monday.
The project targets the stretch from Huron Street to City Ranch Road — a section that has long been a chokepoint for freight vehicles using Highway 287 as an alternative to Interstate 80 during closures and adverse weather.
Project Scope: From Two Lanes to Five
The expansion will widen the existing two-lane highway to five lanes — incorporating four travel lanes plus a centre turning lane.
This configuration mirrors proven urban arterial designs that reduce rear-end collisions at intersections, improve turning movements for heavy vehicles, and absorb higher traffic volumes without degrading flow.
During the construction phase, motorists should anticipate lane changes, temporary closures, and reduced speed limits as crews work through earthmoving, subgrade preparation, and paving operations.
WYDOT has urged drivers to plan accordingly and exercise caution near active work zones.
Why This Corridor Is Critical for Freight
Highway 287 is no ordinary state road. The 1,791-mile U.S. route serves as a vital north-south freight spine across the American interior — and the Laramie-to-Colorado segment carries an outsized share of the load.
When I-80, the primary east-west interstate through southern Wyoming, shuts down due to winter storms or accidents, Highway 287 becomes the de facto diversion route for thousands of heavy trucks.
WYDOT has flagged the full U.S. 287 widening from Laramie to the Colorado state line as a $59 million priority project — one specifically intended to handle the surge in freight traffic that occurs during I-80 closures.
That broader project, however, remains constrained by funding shortfalls. In the meantime, this Laramie-south section represents a critical first phase of what transportation planners hope will be a corridor-wide upgrade.
A Safety Record That Demanded Action
The safety case for this project is stark. The 30-mile stretch of Highway 287 between Fort Collins, Colorado, and Laramie, Wyoming has recorded 570 crashes — including 15 fatal wrecks — since 2019.
At least 15 University of Wyoming students have died on this road since 2000, a statistic that has shaken the Laramie community and intensified pressure on state and federal transport authorities to accelerate improvements.
A 2023 Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) assessment found above-average crash rates on the corridor, designating it a priority candidate for safety improvements.
On the Colorado side, CDOT is separately advancing intersection safety upgrades and shoulder widening between Ted’s Place and the Wyoming border, with additional passing lanes and wildlife fencing planned for 2027-2028.
The Contractor and the Contract
Worland-based McGarvin-Moberly Construction Co. is a familiar name in Wyoming’s road-building landscape.
The firm was also awarded a $7.1 million contract earlier this year to widen and overlay a 2.5-mile section of U.S. Highway 287 between Laramie and the Colorado state line — a separate but complementary scope that includes subgrade reinforcement and stormwater control infrastructure.
Federal funds are underwriting the bulk of Highway 287 improvement works across Wyoming.
Nearly all WYDOT contracts awarded in the 2025-2026 cycle have been federally funded and awarded to the lowest qualified bidder — a requirement that reflects the state’s heavy dependence on Washington for transportation revenue, a structural vulnerability WYDOT Director Darin Westby has described as a key driver of Wyoming’s $400 million to $600 million annual highway funding shortfall.
Wyoming’s Highway Network: A System Under Pressure
The Highway 287 project is part of a much larger infrastructure challenge facing Wyoming. WYDOT manages 16,000 lane miles of road, 6,000 bridges and structures, and over 42,000 culverts across a state that is geographically vast but fiscally constrained.
Currently, 33% of Wyoming’s major roadways are rated in poor condition — a figure projected to climb to 37% by 2028 without additional funding.
WYDOT’s six-year State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) running from 2027 to 2032 outlines further works in the region, including I-80 bridge replacements near Blair Wallis Road, corridor overlays through the Grand Avenue stretch, and a bridge replacement on south Highway 287 slated for 2030-2031.
With highway construction costs up 52% since 2022, the purchasing power of existing funds has been severely eroded.
What to Watch
For construction equipment operators, logistics companies, and freight stakeholders operating on the Laramie corridor, the immediate priority is route planning around active work zones.
Lane changes and speed reductions are expected to create delays, particularly for oversized loads that require advance permitting and escort coordination.
Longer term, industry observers will be watching whether Wyoming’s legislature, following the Wyoming Transportation Commission’s May 4 presentation of the TRIP report, moves to address the structural funding gap that keeps 22 of the state’s top 25 priority highway projects — including the full Highway 287 widening — stranded without construction funding.
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