‘You’re Racing to a Closed Road’: WYDOT Warns Drivers to Stop Beating the Gates this Winter

The original story by Nick Perkins for Oil City News.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has a simple message for winter drivers: stop trying to outrun the road closure gates.

WYDOT says it’s seeing more crashes and close calls as drivers gun it toward gates while crews are in the process of closing highways. Since 2020, there have been at least 23 recorded crashes involving road closure gates — not counting the near misses.

“What drivers don’t understand is that they’re racing to be the first one on a closed road, not the last one on an open road,” said WYDOT Assistant Chief Engineer Mark Ayen.

Under Wyoming law, road closure signs and overhead digital message boards are enough to officially close a road, even if the physical gate isn’t down yet.

That matters because those gates aren’t automatic.

“The gates have to be hand-cranked, which often means someone has to leave their plowing route to travel to the gate and lower it,” Ayen said. “Sometimes that can take as long as 45 minutes, especially for remote locations.”

In other words, a road may already be closed — and dangerous — long before a crew can physically get to the gate.

WYDOT is urging drivers to:

• Obey all closure signs and message boards;
• Check the WYDOT 511 tools (website or app) before they travel;
• Avoid assuming a road is open just because the gate isn’t down yet.

Beyond the safety risk, the agency says damaged gates have cost almost $180,000 to repair and replace over the last five years.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol is backing WYDOT’s warning with stepped-up enforcement this winter.

“The Wyoming Highway Patrol is committed to enforcing road closure violations this winter, regardless of whether the gate is down,” said Col. Tim Cameron. “It’s no different than what takes place on the highways in the states that do not have closure gates. Drivers must plan ahead for weather conditions.”

WYDOT says it doesn’t shut down highways lightly. Closures usually happen because of:

• Zero or near-zero visibility;
• Heavy drifting and ice making the road impassable;
• Crashes blocking all lanes.

At the same time, the agency knows people still need to get to work, home, livestock and essential business. That’s where the Wyoming Travel Authorization Program (W-TAP) comes in.

The program lets certain preapproved drivers travel on portions of closed roads when conditions allow, but it’s not a free pass.

“The program does not provide blanket travel authorization but is our way to try to keep folks moving whenever possible, especially during long-duration closures,” Ayen said.

Bottom line from WYDOT and WHP: if the sign says the road is closed, don’t race the gate — turn around, check 511, and live to drive another day.