Paving Schedule On Main Street In Downtown Sheridan Might Change

Construction crews are planning on changing when they will pave and reopen the closed portions of Main Street in downtown Sheridan, but some business and building owners are not in favor of the new idea.

Currently Main Street is closed between Alger and Loucks Streets, and some blocks have been closed longer than others.

In the contract between WYDOT and Oftedal Construction, a maximum of three blocks can be closed at a time.

When crews finish up one block, the next one closes, but no more blocks are scheduled to close between now and the end of the construction season.

In order to be more cost efficient, Oftedal has said crews are planning to pave the three blocks that are currently closed, simultaneously at the beginning of October and be done by the end of the month, which is required by contract.

There’s nothing in the contract that says Oftedal has to pave and open each block, one at a time.

At Wednesday’s public meeting (August 30th), business and building owners along the north end of the closure area, between Alger Street and Grinnell Plaza, voiced their disapproval over the new plan, because what’s further complicating things for them, is an unrelated private project that has East Alger Street closed between Main and Gould Streets.

Some suggested that crews finish Main Street between Alger Street and Grinnell Plaza first, then work on the other two blocks, south of Grinnell.

Those on the south end of the closure area are less impacted, because their section of Main Street hasn’t been closed as long as the other side.

WYDOT Sheridan Resident Engineer Jake Whisonant says the Department meets with Oftedal each Tuesday to discuss what’s going on and plans to bring up the new concerns.

“Their paving and reopening would get pushed back a little bit, under this current schedule. The overall project would finish for the season and finish in total a little bit faster, but those folks would suffer a little bit of an added delay. We’ll visit with the contractor and see if there’s any flexibility at all into that portion of the schedule.”

WYDOT was originally not planning on having any more public meetings regarding the construction project this year, but with the new concerns that have come up, another public meeting has been scheduled for next week Wednesday, September 6th at 1:30pm.

The two remaining blocks of South Main Street, between Loucks Street and Coffeen Avenue are scheduled to be closed and worked on next year, beginning in April.

Although it’s too early to tell, Whisonant says it is possible that all the work could be finished before next year’s Sheridan WYO Rodeo, and that the parade could be moved back onto Main Street.