Park County will no longer do routine maintenance on three Forest Service access roads on the western side of the county after the Forest Service reported it won’t be able to continue a shared maintenance agreement with the county. 

Historically the Shoshone National Forest has provided $15,000 per year to help fund the maintenance of roads west of Meeteetse, up the South Fork and in Sunlight Basin. 

However, when that agreement expired Jan. 1, the Forest Service did not move to renew. 

“It does not look like the Forest Service will be able to renew the shared maintenance agreement anytime in the foreseeable future,” Park County Engineer Brian Edwards said, noting that the county has still been able to work well with local Forest Service staff, such as assisting in the recent flooding issues. 

The biggest impact, Edwards said, will be to the final stretch of County Road 4DT (Wood River Road) out to the abandoned historic mining town of Kirwin. 

“Most of the road to Kirwin is unimproved and can deteriorate quickly depending on weather and the level of public use,” Edwards said following the meeting. 

He noted during the meeting that regardless, county workers will still respond to emergency situations such as a stranded motorist. But under the maintenance agreement, the county has also typically graded the road two or three times per year in the summer months, as well as work on drainage, culvert repairs/replacements and cattle guards as needed in coordination with the Forest Service staff.

That work will no longer be done on those stretches of the road covered by the agreement. 

The agreement also covers County Road YXD (Hunter Creek Road) and County Road 7GQ (Sunlight Basin), but Edwards said those roads already receive regular county maintenance along most of the roadways, and that regular maintenance will continue. 

Commissioner Lloyd Thiel said he understands ending the maintenance covered under the agreement could cause some issues for some residents, but it just doesn't make sense for the county to continue without Forest Service support with the budget concerns the county is facing. 

“I've actually said this starting seven years ago, I thought the Forest Service is by far getting the best end of the deal here. It's very low cost to them for the maintenance that we do, and I've never felt that we were reimbursed even partially our costs,” he said. “So you know the fact that this agreement has run out and it doesn't look like we have the immediate opportunity to renew it, even modify it, I would like to cease any further maintenance on the forest roads beyond our county obligation at the end of the maintenance that we already do.”

Chair Scott Steward said it may be a moot point, as without an agreement he questioned whether the county even had authority to work on those stretches of road within Forest Service boundaries. 

Commissioners voted unanimously to end the routine maintenance on those affected stretches of road.