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Planning commission adopts Reconnect West Laramie plan, certifies it to city council
Summary
The Laramie Planning Commission unanimously recommended adoption of the Reconnect West Laramie plan, a yearlong FHWA‑funded effort that lays out 37 multimodal recommendations and five priority corridors to improve walking, biking and transit connections in West Laramie.
The Laramie Planning Commission voted to adopt the Reconnect West Laramie plan and certify it to city council after a presentation and public comment period.
Philip, planning staff, told commissioners the plan represents a yearlong planning effort that was supported by a $250,000 Federal Highway Administration grant and extensive community outreach. Consultant Bill Delo of DJ&A walked the commission through the plan’s findings and recommendations, saying the team engaged more than 400 residents in person and had more than 260 online survey responses.
“From a snowy walk through of West Laramie in January 2025 … to a sun‑soaked booth in the middle of Laramie Signature Freedom Has A Birthday event, this plan was built through every season,” Bill Delo said, summarizing the outreach that informed the report.
The plan identifies five east–west opportunity corridors—Curtis, Madison‑Flint, Garfield, Spring Creek and Riverside—and 37 targeted recommendations organized into three tiers intended to guide short‑, mid‑ and long‑term implementation. Key priorities include protected intersections at Curtis and Reynolds, improved bike and pedestrian access to the Garfield footbridge, and potential new crossings of the Union Pacific corridor in the Spring Creek area.
Commissioners and residents spent considerable time debating feasibility and priorities. Several speakers, including long‑time West Laramie resident Tom Schmidt, urged caution about costs and questioned whether West Side residents want increased connections to central Laramie. Schmidt said, “There’s a lot of people really not interested in this,” and warned that grants are effectively tax money.
Others urged approval so the city can pursue funding. Sarah Brown Matthews, a member of the Laramie Parks and Recreation advisory board, called the plan’s breadth beneficial and encouraged the commission to forward it so “the details … can be decided on in the future and funding can be sought.” Resident Wendy Chapman recommended prioritizing a Madison‑Flint connection to the Garfield footbridge as a cost‑effective first step.
Consultant team members acknowledged some projects—especially those requiring coordination with Union Pacific and WYDOT or grade separations at I‑80—are technically complex and costly and were placed in later tiers. Delo said some tier‑3 projects could be 15–25 years out and stressed the plan was drafted as a visionary roadmap rather than a immediately funded program.
After questions and discussion, Commissioner Sharon moved to recommend adoption and certification to city council; the motion carried by voice vote.
The planning commission’s action forwards the plan to city council, where officials will decide whether to adopt it and pursue implementation or funding for specific projects.
