Downtown Casper’s One Way Streets Likely Changing

Downtown Casper's one way streets will likely revert to two ways in the near future. The subject was discussed at last week's city council work session. The original conversion of Durbin and Wolcott to one way happened some 30 years ago.

"I think the conversions were done in the late 70s to one way and at that time it was a conversion based on anticipated traffic flow and quantity. As it turned out, over the last 30 years, the traffic on the north- south areas of these two streets has not grown much at all."

Public Services Director, Gary Clough, says reverting back has been under discussion for years. Two way streets are thought to slow traffic down and the one-way system requires over driving and back tracking to get to some destinations.

At the meeting council members questioned how many parking spaces might be lost.

"We're actually working on that now. We'll do some preliminary engineering drawings and kind of project what will change in the parking if we do the one ways,  whether there will be an increase or decrease in the existing parking."

Following that inventory of parking spaces council will consider the idea for final approval. Clough says the cost, about $400,000, has already been appropriated. He anticipates they may be ready to take the project out for bids by next Winter, with construction in the Spring.

A public education campaign, he says, would start even sooner.

"We'd anticipate probably a four to six month education campaign and we'd probably work closely with the downtown development authority on that."

The work will create some construction pains, but, he says, the business community downtown is supportive.