CASPER, Wyo. — Natrona County recently finished additional work on the parking lot of the future Casper Mountain Trails Center, though the parking lot still won’t be open for public use until the completion of the building itself, which is scheduled for February 2025.

“When you drive over, you create ruts that over time cause deformation in the ground. The wetter the ground is, the more deformation there is,” Natrona County Parks Director Michael Brown previously told Oil City News. “It creates conditions where vehicles could get stuck and sink. … The soil isn’t as hard as it should be, so it moves and gives way.”

On Monday, Brown said the necessary work had recently been completed.

According to Brown, crews dug deeper into the soil, laid multiple layers of Geofabric and other materials and finished with additional surface work. In total, Brown said the extra work took about three to five days and did not impede work on the rest of the mountain lodge project.

Though the change order work has been completed, the parking lot won’t be available for use during the winter ski season, and won’t be open for public use again until the entire project is complete. According to Brown, insurance stipulations prevent the public from using parking lots on active construction sites.

Work on the Casper Mountain Trails Center remains on schedule, and Brown said the projected completion date is Feb. 19, 2025.

Crews have finished the exterior of the building, but much work remains on the building’s interior.

“The exterior of the building is basically done, and we’ve just got a couple finishing touches to handle on that front,” Brown said. “Now, we’ve got to bring power to the building; up next is electrical, mechanical, roofing and plumbing.”

Crews are currently working to frame the walls of the building’s interior, with duct work also underway, he added.

With exterior work all but complete, Brown said construction on the lodge’s interior will be able to continue through the winter months.

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