I-80 variable speed signs in use

Variable speed limit signs are now operating on a 35-mile section of Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins, according to a release from the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

The signs allow WYDOT to reduce the limit in 5 mph increments to as low as 35 mph when weather or traffic conditions make it necessary for safety.

The highway section between the Quealy Dome Interchange 20 miles west of Laramie and the West Elk Mountain Interchange about 40 miles east of Rawlins is prone to rapidly changing and unpredictable weather, including high winds and blowing snow.

�Our maintenance forces as well as the state troopers believe that if we can get the traffic slowed down and driving a more uniform speed, we can avoid a lot of crashes and the subsequent road closures that they cause,� Jay Gould, WYDOT district engineer in Laramie, said in the release.

The department posted a seasonal speed limit of 65 mph on Oct. 15 for a 52-mile section of I-80, which includes the variable speed limit section. The seasonal limit between the Quealy Dome Interchange and the Peterson Interchange 22 miles east of Rawlins will end on April 15, but the variable signs will have the capability of reducing the limit when needed year-round.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Col. Sam Powell said he hopes having the seasonal speed limit in effect for the past four months has helped drivers recognize that speed is a big factor in crashes in the area, and prepared them for the potential of even lower limits using the variable signs.

Over the past five years, the highway section had a crash rate of 1.31 crashes per 1 million vehicle miles traveled, compared with an average rate of 1.1 on all rural interstates in Wyoming. The fatal crash rate on the section also is slightly higher than the statewide average for rural interstates.

Powell said that while the variable speed limits rely on voluntary drivers' compliance, there will be an increased trooper presence on the highway section.

State home heating program grows

CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Department of Family Services says the number of applications are up for a program that helps low-income people heat their homes in the winter.

As of last week, nearly 14,900 applications had been received by the program since August.

Some 12,400 households have been approved for the assistance. More than 6,300 of those applications have been approved for weatherization services.

Last year, 11,035 households were approved for the program with 779 of them receiving weatherization services.

The program's application period ends Feb. 28.

Park Co. celebrates 100th birthday

CODY - Hundreds of Park County residents celebrated their county's 100th birthday in Cody.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal was among those speaking at the event on Sunday.

The northern Wyoming county was one of the last places to be settled in the West, and speakers credited homesteader perseverance for the area's success.

The celebration included presentations about Meeteetse's historic ranches, the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Buffalo Bill Cody, John Wesley Powell and many other fixtures of local history.

The Wyoming Legislature created the county on Feb. 15, 1909, subtracting the area from Big Horn County.