LANDER — The Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) issued more than $9,000 in citations to motorists who drove around a road-closed gate on Tuesday.
Emergency responders were at the scene of an accident on WY28 south of Lander when motorists kept going around the closure gate creating a safety concern for those at the accident scene, according to the WHP.
“There’s always a reason why the road is closed,” the WHP stated. However, despite the road closure gates being down, motorists have gone around them.
This isn’t the first time this has happened on WY28. Over this past weekend, another motorist was fined $750 after driving around the closure gate and getting stuck in the snow. Their actions hindered the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s attempts to clear snow from the road quickly.
The current fine for ignoring road closures is up to a $750 fine or imprisonment of up to 30 days.
House Bill 43 was introduced in the House this legislative session and would have increased the fines for going around closures gates from $750 to $1,500. The bill was drafted to create stiffer fines to discourage motorists from driving around road closure gates. The bill failed to make it out of the house.
