• Consultant study focused on main street

The Town of Afton is nearing completion of a traffic study designed to address safety concerns and open the door for highway improvements with the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Coordinated with WYDOT, the  Afton Corridor Study was funded through the Federal Highway Administration. WWC, a Casper engineering firm is preparing the study.

“It covers vehicle travel, pedestrian use, biking and more,” explained Afton Town Administrator Violet Sanderson in an interview with SVI Media. “It’s focused on the Afton Downtown area.”

Sanderson advised the study includes traffic patterns, vehicle counts and key turning areas within Afton, in addition to parking, cross walks, and speed limit signage.

The final product will offer solutions for the town’s governing body to consider with WYDOT. The process included a survey, with approximately 100 responses returned for review.

Sanderson said responses included  requests for cross walks at the Fourth and Fifth Avenue intersections, better visibility at these locations and a call for a traffic signal at Fourth Avenue. Fourth Avenue serves as the main connection to the Afton Post Office.

Sanderson noted responses “for and against” the traffic light proposal at that key intersection.

“We’re also looking at trees and landscaping to help slow people down as they come through the community,” she said. “People don’t always abide by the speed limit. That is what helped bring attention to the study.”

The study is key to having the cooperation of WYDOT, Sanderson advised.

“When working with WYDOT, we can’t make any changes until a study was completed,” she concluded. “These things will come through the consultant’s study and as we make these changes it will make it a little safer on main street.”