City outlines Reconnect West Laramie planning grant, aims to address barriers to east–west access

City staff and consultants briefed the Laramie City Council on the Reconnect West Laramie planning project, funded by a $250,000 Reconnecting Communities planning grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The five-year planning grant (funding available through federal fiscal 2026) will fund a planning and engagement process to identify short- and long-term projects that reduce transportation barriers between West Laramie, the west side and Laramie proper. The program targets barriers such as the interstate, the Union Pacific rail corridor and Snowy Range Road, and it seeks improvements for people walking, biking, using transit and driving.

Consultants from DJ&A and city staff described a six-task scope that begins with an existing-conditions investigation and proceeds through three rounds of community engagement, development of alternatives, selection of preferred projects and concept design and cost estimating. The consultants said they will engage residents, university students and stakeholders through open houses, pop-up events, student participation in outreach and an online project page and survey.

Council members prioritized housing, grocery and service access, and transit options during the discussion. Several councilors urged the consultant team to include WyoTech and university students and to consider nontraditional transit models such as on-demand or flexible shuttles. Staff and consultants noted existing assets such as the Garfield Street footbridge and the Greenway and said those assets should be incorporated into connectivity proposals.

Consultants told the council the grant is a planning grant; capital funding would require later competitive applications with typical minimum award sizes of several million dollars. They said the plan will identify projects of different scales — immediate, low-cost improvements that the city could implement quickly and longer-term capital projects that would require grant funding and additional design.

Councilors and the consultants discussed equity and outreach. Council members asked staff to ensure engagement reaches West Laramie residents, WyoTech students and other groups who use the corridor, and suggested pop-up events at community gatherings, the farmer’s market and parks. Several councilors also urged coordination with the city’s newly reconstituted transit authority to ensure planning and any future transit recommendations are aligned.

Consultants said they will deliver a final report with recommended priorities and cost estimates after the community engagement and analysis phases.