Update 11:30 a.m.: This story has been updated to include input from commercial truck drivers about their views of how safe highways are.
CHEYENNE — After a video of crumbling asphalt and a hole in the right eastbound lane of Interstate 80 over the Greeley Highway went viral Monday morning, it took only about an hour for a Wyoming Department of Transportation crew to start repairing it.
Although a hole in the deck of one of the busiest interstates in the nation may seem alarming — sky was visible from underneath while chunks of crumbled asphalt lay on the sidewalk — a member of the WYDOT work crew told Cowboy State Daily that “this is nothing new” and that the agency makes repairs like this one “all the time.”
At the scene Monday morning, WYDOT already had blocked off the right eastbound lane on the overpass and expected the repair to be done by about noon, said the worker, who declined to be identified.
While a hole in the highway may seem like a catastrophic failure, it really wasn’t in this case, he said. Because there’s so much rebar running through the highway deck, it was still fairly sound.
The fix is to fill in the hole and damaged areas around it, shown by visible cracking underneath, with an epoxy material, he said.
But Is It Really Safe?
The general public seeing Monday’s viral video expressed concern after watching a TikTok posted by Cheyenne resident Terry Butler.
It shows the hole before it was covered up with a sign. A large quantity of road debris is visible on the sidewalk along the Greeley Highway underneath the overpass, which crosses below I-80 East.
Butler warns people to be careful when driving in the area and said he doesn’t want to walk underneath what appears to be an unstable section of road.
“I can’t take a picture without a chance of this shit hitting me in the head,” Butler says.
WYDOT said it’s working to respond to Cowboy State Daily questions about the hole at the time this story was published.
Those who have to drive over I-80 and the other major highways through Wyoming say they're nervous and don't consider the roads completely safe.
"It's not safe," said commercial truck driver Ahmed Mohammed while fueling up at the Cheyenne Flying J truck stop off Interstate 25.
Seeing videos and reports of damage like Butler's doesn't make semidrivers feel any better about how much time they spend on the road, Mohammed said.
Given the billions of dollars states have been given through the federal infrastructure act, "Why don't they just fix this?" Mohammed asked.
As highway damage goes, the hole that prompted Monday's WYDOT response in Cheyenne "is nothing" compared to some of the other damage on other interstates across the Midwest and West, said a 25-year long-haul trucker who said he just goes by Jake.
After watching Butler's TikTok, Jake said it makes him a little nervous because he has to drive over that section of I-80 on his way to Nebraska.
"These highways are not safe at all," he said, adding that it's not just disrepair that contributes to that condition. "It's all these other drivers who don't know how to drive."
A Wyoming Department of Transporation crew works to repair a hole that develped in the right eastbound lane of Interstate 80 over the Greeley Highway in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily) 
A Wyoming Department of Transporation crew works to repair a hole that develped in the right eastbound lane of Interstate 80 over the Greeley Highway in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily) 
A Wyoming Department of Transporation crew works to repair a hole that develped in the right eastbound lane of Interstate 80 over the Greeley Highway in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily) 
A Wyoming Department of Transporation crew works to repair a hole that develped in the right eastbound lane of Interstate 80 over the Greeley Highway in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Quick Fix
By around 8:20 a.m., WYDOT was already fixing the hole and one lane of the highway closed at the section where the road damage occurred and about a few hundred yards before. A crew of about five was observed working on the project.
By the time Cowboy State Daily arrived on the scene, cones were laid out around where the loose pieces of cement had fallen on the Greeley Highway sidewalk, which had been cleaned up.
The hole was covered from above by an orange road sign with a large arrow on it, clearly visible through the still-existing hole. Visible surface cracks can be seen all around the hole.
Butler encourages drivers to be careful while driving on I-80 East, showing off the hole where passing vehicles traveling above were somewhat visible. The hole appeared to be around 2-3 feet in diameter and had developed in any area of recently laid asphalt.
The WYDOT employee said the structural integrity of the overpass wasn’t compromised and that the highway would be as good, or better, than before with the epoxy fix.
This story will be updated as more information is available.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com and Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
