U.S. Route 87 in Wyoming


U.S. Route 87 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels Port Lavaca, Texas, north to Havre, Montana. In the state of Wyoming, it extends approximately from the Colorado state line south of Cheyenne to the Montana state line northwest of Ranchester. The majority of US 87 is concurrent with Interstate 25 and Interstate 90.

Route description

US 87 enters Wyoming from Colorado concurrent with Interstate 25, a concurrency that begins in Raton, New Mexico, and the enter Cheyenne and intersect Interstate 80. Between exits 12 and 17 is a concurrency with US 85, which departs at Ranchettes. I-25 and US 87 continue north to Dwyer Junction, where it intersects US 26 at exit 92 and it joins the concurrency. The three routes continue north to Orin, where at exit 126 it intersects US 18 and US 20; US 18 terminates at the location but US 20 joins the route. I-25, US 20, US 26, and US 87 travel northward for to exit 160 east of Glenrock, where US 20, US 26, and US 87 follow a segment separate from I-25. The routes rejoin I-25 in Casper at exit 186 for, where US 20 and US 26 split westward at exit 189. US 87 remains concurrent with I-25 northward until its terminus with Interstate 90 near Buffalo, concluding its concurrency over three states.
US 87 follows I-90 west for to exit 44, where it follows a section independent of another Interstate or U.S. highway, the only such section in Wyoming. A portion of US 87 was washed out in the late 1990s at the Massacre Hill Historic Site, so detour signs are posted directing US 87 traffic along WYO 193 through Story. US 87 is still officially designated through the disconnected washed out area; however the section is unsigned in favor of WYO 346 to the south and WYO 344 to the north of the washed out area.
North of WYO 193, US 87 signage resumes and it continues to Sheridan and rejoins I-90 at exit 25. I-90 and US 87 share a concurrency US 14 to exit 9 at Ranchester, where US 14 splits west. I-90 and US 87 continue northward and crosses into Montana.

Massacre Hill washout

In the late 1990s, a short section of US 87 / WYO 344 at the Massacre Hill Historic Site, had been permanently closed due to recurring landslides. According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the stretch of roadway has ongoing and costly maintenance problems, with the most recent landslides closing the roadway as of the Spring of 1998. Because repairing the roadway could potentially damage the historic site, WYDOT recommends that through traffic use either Interstate 90 or Wyoming 193 as an alternate route.
As a result of the landslide on US 87, Wyoming petitioned the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to reroute US 87 over Highway 193 in the late 1990s. However, this was denied. Consequently, a detour for US 87 follows WYO 193 since it is unlikely that US 87 will be reconstructed at its current location.

Related routes

Special routes

Former routes