Cheyenne— Contracts totaling more than $15 million for eight highway projects around Wyoming, including six made possible by the additional state funding approved by the 2007 Legislature, were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its July 25 meeting. The commission now has awarded a total of 25 contracts with the $95-million general fund appropriation the Legislature approved for highway construction.

Worland's Hout Fencing won the largest of the contracts with its bid of nearly $3.9 million for construction of six wildlife crossing underpasses and additional deer fencing along 12 miles of US-30 in Nugget Canyon west of Kemmerer. The work is planned to increase safety and mobility by reducing collisions with wildlife. The highway crosses deer migration routes in the canyon, and as many as 400 vehicles have collided with deer there in some years. The work is being funded with some of the additional state appropriation, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2008.

McMurry Ready-Mix of Casper was awarded a $3.1-million contract for isolated repairs and pavement overlay on about 2.5 miles of I-80 near the Granger Junction interchange about 23 miles west of Green River. It is another of the state-funded projects with an Oct. 31, 2008, completion date.

Gillette's Intermountain Construction Materials; McGarvin Moberly Construction of Worland; Century Companies of Lewistown, Mont.; Wishbone Fencing of Aladdin; and Cheyenne's Reiman Corp. won the other five contracts.