Despite a possible $6 billion cost, Wyoming transportation officials hope the federal government will fund an alternative route to a hazardous 100-mile stretch of the Interstate 80 mountain corridor where hurricane-force winds and snow cause accidents, heavy truck blow-overs and supply chain disruptions.

RAWLINS, Wyo. — At least three people died and dozens were injured in a pileup involving more than 100 vehicles, many of them tractor-trailers, amid blowing snow that closed part of Interstate 80 in Wyoming, officials said March 2.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation is preparing to test connected vehicle technology in trucks and government vehicles along Interstate 80 to reduce the number of accidents that occur during the state’s treacherous winter months.

WASHINGTON — For the second time this year, Wyoming’s top transportation officer told senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee that infrastructure projects backed primarily by private funding are not ideal for rural states.