Sheridan Main Street three-lane test configuration to be extended

SHERIDAN – At the Sept. 3 city council meeting, city of Sheridan staff members updated council members on the status of the Main Street three-lane configuration test and requested the council to consider extending the test for an additional three weeks. The council unanimously granted that request, which requires WYDOT approval.   

This request is to allow both WYDOT and the city time to evaluate both the qualitative and quantitative data they have collected. The feedback from the community has been about a 60-40 split in favor of the new configuration, yet traffic data gathered by both WYDOT and the city has to be evaluated.  

WYDOT will be looking at traffic data taken during the duration of the test to determine the functionality of Main Street now and in the future.

With the majority of the public responding to the online survey indicating they like the three-lane configuration, city staff members are considering requesting it become permanent now rather than waiting until the 2023 WYDOT project, which also requires WYDOT approval.  

WYDOT was scheduled to repaint the original lane configuration earlier this summer, but held off to allow the study to take place, it is now scheduled to be re-striped at the end of September, regardless of the lane configuration.   

The study was scheduled to conclude on Sept. 8, with the original four-lane configuration being put back into place that evening and into the next day. The changes to the original scheduled have been at the suggestion of the city and are being discussed internally within WYDOT.  

If the new configuration is to be implemented permanently, there will be additional costs incurred by the city.  The current masts arms holding the traffic signal heads will need to be extended approximately six feet, or will need to be replaced in order for the lone signal head to align with the new single thru traffic lane and support the center lane left turn only sign. These additional costs have yet to be determined.

The city will continue to take public comment for one more week. Those who have not yet commented are encouraged to do so via the online survey at www.sheridanmainstreet.com. Comments will be accepted until Monday, Sept. 9.

A public meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sheridan Memorial Hospital Downtown Community Conference Room - 61 South Gould St., where WYDOT and the city will present the results of the test.

For information about this news release, contact WYDOT District 4 public information specialist Laura Dalles at (307) 752-3022.