Concrete, Utility and Dirt Work in Bar Nunn, Wyoming

Utility trenches in Bar Nunn follow street lines that were once runways, and anyone digging on this ground should expect it to remember the airfield. The town was built around Wardwell Field, Casper's original airport, which served the region until 1952, and the old runways now form its street pattern. We build streets, flatwork, pads and underground utilities for developers and builders here, and we start each job by finding out what the old field left in the ground before a design assumption turns into a change order.

Bar Nunn sits at 5,285 feet in the Casper metropolitan area and grew about 35 percent, from 2,213 residents in 2010 to 2,981 in the 2020 census. Growth like that arrives in phases, a block of lots here and a commercial pad there along US Highway 20-26, and each phase is a chance to do the ground right. We run the work as a chain: probe, strip, prove the subgrade, install utilities, form and pour, then prepare the base. Each link is tested and signed off before the next one starts.

What a retired airfield can leave behind

A field that once handled the region's air traffic may carry old pavement, patches of thick base rock, abandoned drains, fuel lines or foundations, and the records can be thin. We do not assume any of that is there, and we do not assume it is not. Test pits and probing ahead of design tell us where the surprises are. Old pavement that breaks out cleanly can sometimes be crushed and reused as base if the engineer approves it, which saves haul-off and import. See how we handle demolition and site preparation before the dirt work begins.

Soft spots show up under old drainage paths and where low ground held water. Those areas get over-excavation and recompaction to the depth the soils engineer calls for, with density tests recorded lift by lift. The cheapest time to find a bad area is during stripping, when the equipment is still on site and the hole is already open.

Streets, drainage and pads on flat ground

Flat ground makes drainage the hard part of the job. A few tenths of a foot decide whether a gutter drains or holds water, so we shoot grades twice, once on the subgrade and once on the forms, and check flow lines with a water truck before the curb is accepted. We install storm drainage to the engineer's slopes, set inlets and manholes to grade, and keep trench bottoms clean so pipe bedding does not settle.

For building pads, we run fine grading to the tolerance the slab needs, typically within a fraction of an inch, then place a compacted base and check it again with a straightedge just ahead of the forms. A slab cannot be flatter than the base it sits on. Water and sewer services, sidewalks and driveway aprons follow in the order the utility conflict list dictates, not in the order that looks easiest on a schedule.

Wind, highway traffic and open ground

Bar Nunn is open country. Wind carries dust, blows signs and makes crane and forklift picks harder, so we work to wind limits and shut down lifts when they are exceeded. Dust control is part of the plan, with water trucks working ahead of the equipment instead of behind it. Fresh concrete in wind needs windbreaks and early curing to avoid plastic shrinkage, and we mix the day's sequence so that finishing crews are not racing evaporation at the far end of a slab.

Traffic is the other hazard. US Highway 20-26 carries trucks, commuters and oilfield traffic, and any work that touches the highway frontage needs a traffic control plan, flaggers and delineation that drivers can read from a distance. Haul trucks enter and leave at marked points, and spotters stay with every backing vehicle. Nobody on the construction trade partners works inside a swing radius or under a load.

Phased growth, repeat visits

Developers in Bar Nunn tend to build in phases as lots sell. That suits a contractor who remembers the site. Homebuilders and multifamily developers get the same crew, the same testing agency and the same record drawings from one phase to the next, so the utility locations from phase one are on paper when phase two starts. Small commercial buyers use the highway frontage for shops and storage, and a flex or light-industrial building needs a slab designed for the tenant mix, not a guess.

The modern airport replaced Wardwell Field in 1952. Our notes on the airport and business park cover apron, hangar and utility work there, and the same crews can serve both sides of the road when schedules allow.

Approvals and the code timeline

Wyoming law lets the state delegate enforcement to qualifying counties and municipalities, and a locality that holds that authority has to adopt or maintain standards that at least meet the state's within six months after the state adopts new codes. Because of that, the code edition in force can change during a long phase schedule. For a Bar Nunn project we confirm with the town or county which edition is current at permit and what frost depth the reviewer expects, and we write the answer into the bid.

The town's own history shows how recently the land changed hands: the Army Air Corps bought land along US Highway 20-26 in 1952, a rancher bought back the 640-acre Wardwell Field property in 1954, subdivided it in 1958 and the area incorporated in 1982. That ownership trail is useful. Ask for old plats and easements early, because easements and abandoned lines tied to the original field are best found before excavation. For neighboring jurisdictions, see our page on building in Casper.

Start your Bar Nunn project

Send us the lot map, any old plats you hold and the phase schedule. We will probe the ground, price what we find and set a sequence you can plan around. Contact us about your Bar Nunn project.

Questions Owners Ask

Will old runway pavement affect my foundation?

It might. Test pits and probing ahead of design show whether old pavement or heavy base rock sits under the footprint. Pavement that is in the way is removed; pavement that can stay or be crushed for base may save money if your engineer approves. The right answer depends on what the probing finds.

How do you handle drainage on flat ground in Bar Nunn?

We shoot grades on the subgrade and again on the forms, set inlets to the engineer's slopes and check the flow line with water before acceptance. On flat ground a small error holds water, so we check more often than the minimum.

Can you work on the highway frontage?

Yes, with a traffic control plan and flaggers where the work touches the right of way. Haul trucks use marked entrances, and we schedule deliveries to avoid peak commuter and oilfield traffic.

Do you phase work for developers who sell lots over time?

We do. We keep record drawings of the utilities and testing results from each phase so the next one starts from known conditions. Pricing for later phases is based on the same unit prices unless the scope changes.

Which code applies to a Bar Nunn permit?

Wyoming adopts codes locally, and localities with enforcement authority must meet the state standard within six months of a state update. We confirm the current edition with the reviewing office at permit time rather than relying on an older project.

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