Trucking News · Wyoming · November 10, 2026

Truckers: Wyoming Gets $6.7 Million for I-80 Green River Tunnel Upgrades

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Image caption: Illustration: AI-generated illustration, not a photo of the people, vehicles or places in this story. It shows a highway engineer with a tablet on a snowy shoulder as a light blue semi-truck passes twin rock tunnels.

Wyoming has received a $6.7 million federal grant for safety and emergency upgrades at the twin Green River tunnels on Interstate 80, Transport Topics reported Nov. 9. For truckers crossing southern Wyoming, the work will bring new lighting, warning signs and fire protection to tunnels that opened in 1966.

The grant came through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects program in October and will pay for 87% of the project. Big Rig Daily first reported the award in October in Wyoming's Green River tunnels grant. The new details are the exact amount and the state's timeline.

What is planned

The eastbound tunnel will get a new lighting system with intelligent dimming that adjusts brightness in real time, plus backup power, synchronized with the westbound tunnel's lighting. Electronic message signs will give real-time hazard warnings, and variable speed limit signs will slow traffic in poor weather. The Wyoming Department of Transportation will also install road weather stations with web cameras at both tunnels to measure temperature and wind speed and to detect ice.

Both tunnels will get new amplifier systems to improve connectivity and emergency communications through their thick concrete liners. WYDOT will also install dry-pipe fire suppression systems that can work in freezing temperatures.

When the work starts

"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.

During construction, one tunnel will stay open with traffic running in both directions through it. WYDOT plans to divert some traffic temporarily through the Green River community, where drivers should watch for pedestrians, and to post size and weight restrictions in the work zones.

A key freight route

I-80 carries Wyoming's highest truck volume, from 5,000 to 10,000 trucks a day, according to the state's most recent freight assessment. The stretch between Green River and Rock Springs carries the state's heaviest interstate traffic, about 23,000 vehicles a day. WYDOT says the route carries approximately 50% truck traffic without viable detours.

"Truck drivers from Wyoming and across the nation travel this corridor every day," said Kevin Hawley, president and CEO of the Wyoming Truck Association. He said the upgrades "will provide drivers with better information in advance, helping them prepare for changing conditions before entering the tunnels."

Each tunnel carries two lanes and is about 1,200 feet long.

FAQ

How much is the grant?

$6.7 million, covering 87% of the project, according to Transport Topics.

When will construction start?

WYDOT expects to bid the project in fall 2027 and start construction in spring 2028.

Will the tunnels close?

During construction, one tunnel will stay open with two-way traffic, and some traffic will be diverted through Green River.

What part of I-80 across Wyoming keeps you most alert in winter?

Sources: Transport Topics.

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