Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Sheridan public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
21 issues in roads
Work Street bridge replacement traffic impacts
The WYDOT Work Street bridge replacement starts next week, with months of changed traffic patterns through July. Council Member Brantz raised resident concerns about backups if drivers shift to Park Street, and staff agreed to evaluate a possible no-left-turn restriction there.
Traffic concerns at Brundage Avenue and Sheridan Avenue
Resident Thomas Jones asked the council to consider a four-way stop at Brundage and Sheridan Avenue near the M&M Center, saying the approved Scott Street stop will just push more traffic onto Sheridan Avenue. Staff will review traffic counts and accident data.
WYDOT Acceptance of East 5th Street
Trucks keep jumping the curb at Fifth and Main because the corner radius is too tight. The city is fixing that corner now, redesigning Fifth and Val Vista next, and planning a bridge deck replacement next summer that will detour truck traffic.
5th and Main Curb Reconstruction
The tight curb radius at 5th and Main has trucks bumping or even jumping the curb and driving over the ADA ramp. A $73,637.50 contract with SSR Construction will widen the radius to 44 feet this fall, funded by the extra penny sales tax.
Whitney Benefits Right-of-Way Dedication
Whitney Benefits proposed dedicating a permanent 60-foot right-of-way to the city — land the city could use for roads or public infrastructure as that area develops.
2026 Construction Season
The building division reported a strong season: 138 major permits, nearly 800 simple permits, and 1,940 inspections from March through September, with notable projects including the Sheridan College science center and a student-built house.
Dry Ranch Road emergency access bottleneck
One access point serves the whole Heartland Drive/Solutions Way/Dry Ranch Road area, and fire flow can't reach the highest lots. Improvements are coming with this subdivision, but a true second access depends on future deals with other property owners.
Lewis Street utility trench work
Mayor Bridger raised concerns about a blocked street segment that's snarled traffic for over a week with school starting. Staff said the private utility work should wrap up this week.
Sheridan Transportation Plan
A $249,922.73 award to Stantec for a citywide safety action plan, mostly covered by a $200,000 federal grant. A resident questioned choosing a Canada-headquartered firm over Wyoming companies, prompting the item to be pulled from consent for discussion.
Terra-Turner road rehabilitation project
About 6,000 linear feet of road in the commercial area around Sheridan Avenue, Riverside, Terra and Turner gets a full rotomill and overlay with cement-treated base, plus curbing, sidewalk/ADA and storm drain fixes. The area has had pooling water and beat-up pavement, made worse by the 2025 water line project.
Pavement Condition Assessment
The city hasn't assessed its streets since 2019. A fresh survey of about 140 miles of roads will guide which streets get fixed next and feed the new Cartograph asset tracking system.
2026 Micro-surface Pavement Preservation Project
About 62,000 square yards of streets south of 11th Street would get a micro-surface treatment — a roughly $5-per-square-yard preventive seal that stretches road life before costly mill-and-overlay rebuilds. Funded entirely by the one-cent CapTax and GPET funds.
Capital projects: bridges, downtown restrooms, intersections
Staff is pivoting bridge repair from Fifth Street to the Val Vista bridge, which has exposed rebar, using an estimated $4.5 million bridge repair program. Downtown restrooms will be built near 103 North Gould with cap tax funds, and the Bighorn Brundage intersection gets a $650,000 local match to start in about a year.
5th Street and Val Vista Street Traffic Signal
The council approved $65,000 for Engineering Associates to design signalized left-turn lanes, better truck turning radii, and ADA improvements at 5th and Val Vista, funded by the optional one-cent tax.
WYDOT concrete median barriers on Coffeen and Brundage
WYDOT plans to add medians along Coffeen Avenue, and businesses along the corridor are pushing back. Because Coffeen is a state highway (the I-90 business loop), the city has little say — comments go to the state, which will present its statewide plan at next week's council meeting.
East Downtown Phase I street reconstruction
Larch and Works Streets between Maine and Gould get a full rebuild — new water and sewer lines, roads, curb and gutter, sidewalks, and ADA ramps — fixing drainage problems left over from the main street project. It's all paid for with capital facilities tax money.
Sheridan Transportation Master Plan 2026
The adopted plan catalogs 54 conceptual road projects, including a west corridor, east corridor, and railroad grade separations, guiding future development and right-of-way preservation in the joint planning area.
Coffeen Avenue safety improvements
WYDOT's planned Coffeen Avenue mill-and-overlay includes medians from Wendy's to south of Brundage. Business owners worry about snow storage, U-turns, and lost access; WYDOT promises access gaps and more public meetings before designs are final.
Fifth Street vs. Fort Road railroad crossing priority
Commissioners debated why the plan prioritizes a new north-side crossing at Fort Road over a Fifth Street grade separation, even though Fifth Street carries roughly 7,800 cars a day. Staff said Fifth Street has stalled repeatedly due to cost, the Sheridan Inn and businesses, and murky BNSF right-of-way ownership.
South Downtown Phase I Construction Project
A $2.66 million contract with LJS Concrete & Excavating moves the South Downtown Phase I street project forward.
December snow removal performance
Resident John Wilcox told the council December plowing was 'somewhere between miserable and non-existent,' saying he didn't see a plow until 8:30 p.m. after a Friday snow and nearly slid through an icy intersection a day later.