Tourists have returned. The summer traffic season beckons. The discussions begin.
Will this summer traffic season be like others? Will the bridge construction make it worse? Is gridlock inevitable? How bad can it get?
Here’s what we know.
- Highway 22 is the most congested highway in Wyoming. WYDOT tells us so, but there are so few congested highways in Wyoming that it is an almost meaningless statistic.
- Tourism projections are lower than those in recent years. There are those who are advocating for Lodging Tax funds to be allocated to bolster the summer tourism season; a consideration never before proposed.
- The Alliance-commissioned study of Highway 22 peak seasons determined that an 18% decrease in the number of cars on the State’s most congested highway during peak times would result in virtually none of the congestion we’ve come to expect. Ebikes, ride-sharing, dispersed travel schedules and the like would mitigate the crunch times of rush hour. In a lighter tourism season, it may be tolerable. We hope so.
