Funeral Procession For WWII Vet To Pass On I-80, I-25 Tonight
UPDATE: WYDOT spokesman Matt Murphy has released this statement in regards to questions about viewing the procession:
''We don't want people parking on I-25 and I-80, so we're directing them to either the High Plains Road bridge in Cheyenne (since it will be closed) or along Grand Avenue in Laramie.
Original post: A funeral procession for a recently identified Word War II veteran will be held on Interstates 80 and 25 in Wyoming tonight.
The body of Machinist Mate First Class George Hanson will be transported from Denver International Airport up Interstate 25 into Wyoming, and then west on Interstate 25 to Laramie.
Hanson was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He will be buried in Laramie, where he grew up.
The procession is expected to enter Wyoming sometime between 9:30 and 10 p.m., according to WYDOT spokesman Matt Murphy. The Wyoming Highway Patrol will escort the vehicle carrying Hanson's body from the state line to Laramie and will have lights activated to honor Hanson when the procession enters Laramie at Grand Avenue, which is expected to be around 10:30 p.m. or so.
As the procession passes through the Cheyenne area, Laramie County Fire District 1 will hang a flag from a fire engine on the High Plains Road Interchange, which is exit 4 on I-25. That means traffic will not be able to cross the bridge from one side to the other while the trucks are set up, which will be over the period from just before to just after the procession passes through the area.
Similarly, Albany County Fire District 1 will hang a flag from a fire truck at the Wyoming 210 bridge, or exit 323 on I-80. Traffic will be temporarily restricted to one lane alternating traffic in that area.