JACKSON, Wyo. — A new downtown pedestrian improvement project will be proposed to the Town Council. The project is designed to improve pedestrian safety and access and to improve ADA accessibility. The project area will include the section of Deloney Street, on the north side of the town square, and the entire length of the Center Street corridor.
Johnny Ziem, Assistant Public Works Director and Wastewater Manager for the town of Jackson, presented and discussed the project with relevant stakeholders during a meeting organized by the Chamber of Commerce. Stakeholders included a number of business owners and property owners who would be impacted by the project.
The project is still in the conceptual stages but the proposal suggests the redesign of four downtown intersections, including potentially widening the boardwalk on the east side of the Town Square and potentially adding and widening a sidewalk on the west side of Center St. between Deloney St. and Gill Ave. The project will also increase ADA access within each intersection and within the Center St. corridor.
No parking spaces would be lost with the extension of the boardwalk on the east side of the Town Square, but “In order to do that we are suggesting that center street remains as a one-way street from the south to the north towards Gill like we did last summer,” said Ziem. The “flex zone” created on the east side of the square will also be improved.
Curb extensions or bulb-outs are also being proposed for the project. the bulb-outs will provide additional pedestrian space at heavily used intersections. They do not impede traffic but make pedestrians more visible. Currently, the town has a number of bulb-outs that get painted on the road during the late spring and early summer at the intersections surrounding the Town Square.
Permanent bulb-outs are being proposed for the intersections of Center St. and Deloney St., the pedestrian crossings at the corner of Broadway and Center St, and at the intersection of Cache St. and Deloney St.
The project will be brought before the Town Council during a scheduled workshop in Feb. The agenda for the meeting has not been finalized yet.
