West Belt Loop MPO Meeting Scheduled For July 7

The Casper-Area Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold a meeting next month to gauge public opinion on the access management plan for the soon-to-be-constructed West Belt Loop road that will connect Wyoming Highway 220 to U.S. 20/26.

MPO supervisor Andrew Nelson says the meeting will focus on how the plan outlines where intersections can be placed on the limited-access roadway.

"The county and other government agencies will eventually give permits for accesses on the road, so in 20 or 30 years down the road, there's not going to be any question where an intersection will go - it's going to go there, and, if you want to have access to it, you're going to have to connect to that intersection," Nelson said.

Nelson also said multiple elements of the proposal will be reviewed during the meeting.

"(We'll take a look at) what's going to provide the best connectivity between the east, west, north and south, we have to, of course, take into consideration the local land owners that are there now, and we have to look at policy books and professional engineering standards," Nelson said.

The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on July 7 at the the Christian Church of Casper, 8188 W. Zero Rd.

Construction on the West Belt Loop is scheduled to be completed by 2015.