Improving Wyoming’s Deadliest Highway

Wyoming is a tough state for many reasons. It takes a tough breed of people to live here and do the work. Even driving can be difficult, but not for the same reasons as in other states.

Our long roads can become wind tunnels with ice conditions, and massive snow drifts to that. But as hard as any Wyoming can be, no road is more dangerous than Highway 59 in Campbell County.

Wyoming Highway 59 (WYO 59) has gained a reputation as one of the state's most dangerous roads, even being called the "highway of death" by some due to a history of a high number of fatal collisions relative to its traffic volume. The primary reasons for this perception include heavy industrial traffic and driver behavior on a two-lane highway.

Many improvements have been made over several years. We will look at those changes in this story.

Highway 59 was never designed for 24/7 lines of ultra-heavy trucks, going in both directions with fatigued drivers. When it was designed, nobody thought of it as a heavy industrial road. But that is what it became.

The problems are as follows:

High Traffic Volume: The highway, particularly the stretch between Douglas and Gillette, is a central corridor for the Powder River Basin's coal mines and oil fields, resulting in a high volume of heavy commercial truck traffic mixed with local commuters.

Two-Lane Road: Despite the heavy use, much of the highway remains a two-lane road, leading to unsafe passing attempts and head-on collisions.

Driver Inattention/Fatigue: Driver fatigue and inattention are frequently cited as contributing factors in crashes, often associated with long shifts for oil and mine workers.

Speed: Speed is another major contributing factor, with many drivers traveling at 85-90 mph in areas with a 65 mph limit to keep pace with traffic.

Wildlife Collisions: High concentrations of deer, antelope, and other wildlife contribute to a significant number of accidents, especially at dawn and dusk.

The state of Wyoming has responded with years' worth of construction.

Passing Lanes: WYDOT accelerated funding to add numerous new passing lanes and extend existing ones between Douglas and Gillette.

Rumble Strips: Installation of rumble strips to alert distracted or fatigued drivers.
Increased Patrol: The Wyoming Highway Patrol increased staffing and enforcement along the corridor.

Speed Limit Adjustments: Speed limits have been reduced in certain developed sections of the highway to provide safer gap opportunities for entering traffic.