Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Sheridan public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
12 issues in roads with high priority
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
South Downtown Phase I Construction Project
A $2.66 million contract with LJS Concrete & Excavating moves the South Downtown Phase I street project forward.