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Wyoming to upgrade 60-year-old Green River tunnels on I-80
Fire suppression, weather monitoring systems on route handling up to 10,000 trucks daily
Vehicles enter the twin Green River tunnels from the westbound entrance on Interstate 80. (Wyoming Department of Transportation)
Key Takeaways:
- Wyoming received a $6.7 million federal grant for safety and emergency upgrades at the twin Green River tunnels on Interstate 80.
- Planned upgrades include intelligent lighting, electronic warning signs, variable speed limits, weather monitoring, improved communications and fire suppression systems.
- WYDOT expects the project to go to bid in fall 2027 with construction beginning in the spring of 2028.
A $6.7 million federal grant has been awarded to Wyoming to upgrade the twin Green River tunnels on Interstate 80 with new safety and emergency systems on a key freight route.
I-80 carries Wyoming’s highest truck volume, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 trucks per day, according to the most recent Statewide Freight Assessment report. Also, the section between Green River and Rock Springs carries the state’s heaviest interstate traffic with 23,000 vehicles daily.
“Truck drivers from Wyoming and across the nation travel this corridor every day, and we owe it to them and the motoring public to do everything we can to make it safer,” said Kevin Hawley, Wyoming Truck Association president and CEO.
A multiple-fatality crash at the Green River tunnel site last year underscored the need to improve safety features for both eastbound and westbound at the tunnels, which opened in 1966.
“This investment will provide drivers with better information in advance, helping them prepare for changing conditions before entering the tunnels. The planned fire suppression system will also give emergency responders another valuable tool if a fire occurs,” Hawley noted. “In October, the project received the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects grant, which will pay for 87% of the project. WYDOT has secured more than $179 million in competitive grants over the last five years, including the latest federal award.
With this grant, we can further improve safety in the tunnel system by utilizing modern technology and highway safety best practices,” said Keith Fulton, Wyoming Department of Transportation’s chief engineer. “We have met extensively after the tragic February 2025 crash to identify solutions like this project in an effort to prevent future severe crashes in the area.”
Green River tunnel traffic flows on two lanes, each about 1,200 feet, in both directions.
“We expect the project to go out to bid in fall 2027. But due to Wyoming’s typically harsh weather conditions, we don’t anticipate real cones-on-the-ground construction to start until spring 2028,” WYDOT spokesperson Jordan Young told Transport Topics.
High-tech upgrades
The eastbound tunnel will be outfitted with a new lighting system using intelligent dimming software that adjusts brightness in real time based on changing conditions. The system also will provide backup power and synchronize with westbound tunnel lighting. Other upgrades will include electronic message signs to provide drivers with real-time hazard warnings and variable speed limit signs to slow traffic during poor weather. WYDOT also will install road-weather information system units with web cameras at both tunnels. The systems will measure temperature and wind speed as well as detect roadway ice.
Emergency communications
Both tunnels will receive new bidirectional amplifier systems to improve connectivity and emergency communications through the structures’ thick concrete liners.
WYDOT also will install dry-pipe fire suppression systems that can operate in freezing temperatures to protect motorists during tunnel fires and reduce infrastructure damage. Last year’s incident damaged tunnel lighting and concrete lining, which required immediate repairs.
Safer travel
WYDOT officials expect the Green River tunnel improvements to prevent “catastrophic closures on a vital freight route carrying approximately 50% truck traffic without viable detours.”
The renovations are projected to improve the state’s economic resilience by strengthening infrastructure along a key transportation corridor that links coal, oil and natural gas facilities. That stretch of I-80 also is important for moving Wyoming’s agricultural and forestry export products.
Hawley noted, “We appreciate WYDOT’s work to secure this funding and its continued commitment to keeping commerce moving and making our highways safer.”
Traffic detours
During construction, one tunnel will remain open with vehicles traveling in a head-to-head configuration.
WYDOT plans to temporarily divert traffic through the Green River community, where drivers should exercise caution and watch for pedestrians.
Once construction begins, drivers also should obey posted traffic controls and size and weight restrictions in construction zones around the tunnels.
“Truck drivers can help keep the Green River tunnels — and all Wyoming highways — safer for all drivers by slowing down, especially in inclement weather, putting down distractions and driving alert,” Young said.
