UW Schedules Second Public Forum for Parking and Transportation Master Plan

The University of Wyoming's quest to gather public input for a Transportation and Parking Master Plan continues Wednesday, Jan. 16, with the second of four scheduled open forums.

The forum is from 5-7 p.m. in the large conference room at the Laramie Recreation Center, 920 Boulder Dr., off Grand Avenue. Stantec Consulting has been hired to head the project, a joint effort of UW, the City of Laramie and the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

"The University of Wyoming and Stantec understand the strong inter-relationships between the university and the city, particularly in the areas of transportation and parking. This public forum will give community residents and others an opportunity to voice their concerns regarding important issues in these areas as well as their ideas for solutions," says Chuck Huffine, project manager for Stantec. "It is critical that we hear from residents so that our recommendations reflect their input."

The first public forum, held Dec. 5 on the UW campus, attracted about 60 people and was "highly productive," says Huffine. Stantec plans to host another public forum in early February to gather feedback on its preliminary findings.

 

Comments can still be submitted online.

Stantec will present its final recommendations to the public at the fourth forum in March.

The primary purpose of the master plan study is to analyze various elements related to mobility, transit and parking demands on and around the UW campus and to provide recommendations for future improvement.

Stantec will study primary routes near the UW campus, particularly Grand Avenue and 15th Street, as well as secondary routes, such as Ivinson Street and Lewis Street, to determine sets of existing and projected mobility, safety and parking needs and issues.

In addition to developing a 10-year plan, which could include parking program changes, parking capital projects, a revised transportation management system or mobility and safety capital projects, Stantec will prepare a short-term plan to help mitigate transportation disruptions around campus.

Stantec will rely on several sets of data, including 24-hour machine traffic counts, pedestrian and bicycle counts, parking occupancy and turnover rates, accident statistics and transit routes, schedules and ridership numbers, to help develop its long- and short-term plans.

Founded in 1954, Stantec provides professional design and consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, surveying, economics and project management. For more information, go to the Web site www.stantec.com.