Wyoming Department of Transportation

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Wyoming Department of Transportation

Official logo of WYDOT
Agency overview
Formed	1991
Preceding agency	Wyoming Highway Department
Jurisdiction	State of Wyoming
Headquarters	5300 Bishop Blvd. Cheyenne, Wyoming (307) 777-4375
Employees	Nearly 2,000
Agency executive	Darin Westby, Director
Child agency	Wyoming Highway Patrol
Website	http://www.dot.state.wy.us

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is a government agency charged with overseeing transportation infrastructure for the U.S. state of Wyoming. WYDOT's stated mission is "to provide a safe, high quality, and efficient transportation system."

With nearly 2,000 employees based in about 60 locations, WYDOT constitutes Wyoming's largest and most widespread state agency. The department is responsible for planning and implementation of road improvement projects, conducting road maintenance, managing driver licenses and motor vehicle programs, supporting airports and aviation, and coordination among its divisions, including the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

WYDOT headquarters are located in northwest Cheyenne adjacent to the Central Avenue Interchange (exit 12) on I-25. In addition, road construction and maintenance operations are divided among five field districts, headquartered in Basin, Casper, Laramie, Rock Springs, and Sheridan.

WYDOT was formed in 1991, incorporating the Wyoming Highway Department, along with the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission and transportation-related elements of the Wyoming Department of Revenue and Taxation and the Wyoming Public Service Commission.

The old Highway Department had existed since 1917, when it was created in response to the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, in which Congress decreed that as a prerequisite for the receipt of federal funds, a state must have a highway department (or similar agency) in place and functioning. Until that time, road improvements were the responsibility of local governments.

During the 1920s, as the pace of road improvement picked up, so did the need for maintenance. In Wyoming, the initial maintenance work was very basic in nature and carried on only during the summer. Winter motor travel was practically unknown in those days, consequently the agency's maintenance forces were laid off in the fall of the year, with only a few mechanics retained to overhaul equipment.