Sheridan to test three-lane traffic configuration on downtown Main Street

SHERIDAN – The city of Sheridan will be conducting a month long temporary test of a lane reconfiguration on Main Street beginning Aug. 11, 2019.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation is scheduled to resurface the downtown section of Main Street in 2023. The city saw this scheduled resurfacing project as an opportunity to investigate the idea of enhancing placemaking opportunities to increase foot traffic to the retail businesses.

In 2018, the Downtown Sheridan Streetscape Action Plan was created as a result of a multi-day workshop held earlier that year. The results of this study, which included focus groups and feedback from downtown retailers, indicated that reducing the now current four-lane configuration to three-lanes would offer a more inviting and accessible downtown. 

“WYDOT is in full support of the test the city of Sheridan is performing on Main Street, which is also US Highway 87.” said District Engineer, Scott Taylor, “The department is looking forward to the results of the traffic data, feedback from both the vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and the feedback from the downtown businesses. Once all the data is gathered and evaluated, we will then be able to determine if the proposed configuration of Main Street will successfully function operationally in 2023 and beyond.”

Beginning Saturday, Aug. 10, the city of Sheridan will close Main Street at 9 p.m. to begin installing the striping for the new lane configuration.  The “test” configuration will reduce the now four-lane with parallel parking to two single travel lanes with a center turn lane, wider parallel parking and a buffer zone between the driving lane and parking. The study area will begin at Burkitt Street/Coffeen Avenue and end at First Street.

Existing striping will be covered and temporary striping will be installed. The striping will include turn arrows, and left, right and center lane boundaries. This process is expected to be completed by late Sunday afternoon. Main Street will then be opened and the test period will begin. 

The speed limit will remain at 20 mph and the No Left Turn signal will be shut off during this test period. 

WYDOT and the city will both be gathering quantitative traffic data throughout the study area. In addition to data collecting on Main Street, the city will be gathering traffic data on Brooks Street, Gould Street and the surrounding area.  

Both WYDOT and the city encourage local residents to drive Main Street and experience the test. Once driven, the community is encouraged to answer a short survey about their experience. This survey can be accessed at www.sheridanmainstreet.com. In addition, downtown merchants will have a survey form at their businesses and will be gathering anecdotal data from their customers during this period.

The test period will run through Sunday, Sept. 8.

Data will be gathered and reviewed once the test period is over. A public meeting to discuss the results 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.

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

For the latest road conditions, visit www.wyoroad.info, call 5-1-1, or download the Wyoming 511 app.

Follow District 4 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WYDOT-Northeast-Wyoming