JACKSON, Wyo. — During the annual ‘State of the Town’ address on Wednesday, Feb. 18, a citizen raised a question regarding the status of the letter sent by the Town and County to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) requesting safety improvements to pedestrian crosswalks at high-traffic zones in the Town of Jackson.

Mayor Arne Jorgensen said that the letter was received and it seemed that the response was generally positive before asking Public Works Director Johnny Ziem to expand on the question.

Ziem explained that WYDOT must follow a process when considering changes to state highways, since the crosswalks in question are located on Broadway/US89/191. Ziem added that WYDOT was discussing a warrant study, which determines whether or not an action or change is “warranted,” given a request. The scope of the project, he said, was also expanded from North Broadway Ave. to include Cache Street as well.

“We are applying a lot of pressure [on WYDOT] right now,” Ziem said. He continued to say that they have to follow rules and it can be a “lengthy process,” but they hope WYDOT can either get the work done or “get out of the way” so the Town can make changes to improve pedestrian safety.

Hannah is a Buckrail Staff Reporter and freelance web developer and designer who has called Jackson home since 2015. When she’s not outside, you can probably find her eating a good meal, playing cribbage, or at one of the local yoga studios. She’s interested in what makes this community tick, both from the individual and collective perspective.