14-A southwest of Byron closes, reopens

UPDATED, 2:40 p.m. Overflow from the Sidon Canal southwest of Byron pushed a car and driver off the road early this morning (pictured at right), causing an eleven and a half hour closure of Highway 14-A. Fortunately, the driver was not injured, and the road has been re-opened.

We'll have details in Thursday's paper.

For now, here's some more info from the Wyoming Department of Transportation...

WyDOT maintenance foreman Jim Thomas of Lovell had received a call for help at 2 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, concerning a vehicle crash and water on the highway between milepost 35 and milepost 36 on U.S. 14-A.

Road closure gates were placed at the Town of Byron and at milepost 33. Thanks to emergency road work, the highway re-opened at 1:30 p.m. -- though more repairs will likely be needed.

“We have damage to the shoulder of the highway, and erosion undermined about a foot of the road for several hundred feet,” Thomas said. “There may be some surface damage to the highway, and last week’s freshly completed chip seal has been damaged. Also, the right-of-way fence on both sides of the highway must be replaced.”

Thomas said about 100 yards of the Sidon Canal was washed out early this morning, and Sidon Canal District officials are on the scene preparing to repair the canal bank. The Sidon Canal feeds about 13,000 acres of agricultural land with water diverted from the Shoshone River.