Cheyenne staff say Reed Avenue revitalization depends on BNSF approval; railroad seeks additional street closure

City staff reported that the Reed Avenue Corridor revitalization — a West Edge redevelopment effort in Cheyenne — has advanced to a 30% design but that the project will not move forward without railroad concessions, including the closure of 20 First Street.

Tom (City Engineer) said the project traces to planning work beginning in 2014–2018 and a 2017 voter-approved 6p ballot measure that provided $4 million. He told the council the corridor has attracted about $17,000,000 in external state and federal grant funding since those early plans and that a later, separate $3,000,000 stage for 20 Sixth Street is not part of that total.

The update described a multiyear timeline. City staff signed a Preliminary Engineering Agreement (PEA) with BNSF in June 2023, submitted 30% design plans to BNSF on Jan. 17, 2025, and completed a BNSF field diagnostics meeting on April 30, 2024. Staff received a BNSF diagnostics report and 72 formal comments in September 2025 and held a follow-up meeting shortly before the work session.

Why it matters: the railroad’s safety-driven requirements affect where the city can place pedestrian and landscaping amenities, require design changes that increase cost and complexity, and could force full street closures that would disrupt vehicle and truck access for nearby businesses.

Tom summarized the railroad’s priorities from the diagnostics: refreshed pavement markings and signage, removal or relocation of certain signal “bungalows,” restricted parking near the corridor, and clearer separation between railroad operations and public access. He said BNSF originally sought to eliminate passenger-car parking within 100 feet on each side of the track but agreed instead to…