In response to increasing congestion on Cody’s Big Horn Avenue, officials are adding a stoplight and planning other changes to the corridor.

The busy street doubles as U.S. Highway 14A, bringing traffic into Cody from Powell and the east. But as the area along Big Horn Avenue has been developed with more businesses and housing, it’s become increasingly difficult for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists to navigate the route.

At its September meeting, the commission that oversees the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) awarded a $563,584 contract to Casper Electric to install a traffic light at Big Horn Avenue’s intersection with Blackburn Street.

The intersection, located near Big Horn Cinemas, can get particularly congested as vehicles turn on and off the highway; there have been multiple crashes in the area in recent years, including a March incident in which an allegedly impaired driver crashed into the El Vaquero restaurant.

As part of its work, Casper Electric will do some grading and paving, build sidewalk and improve the curb and gutter. The job — which came in nearly $75,000 below WYDOT’s estimate — must be completed by the end of June.

“This initial enhancement to Big Horn Avenue will benefit everyone who travels through and lives in Cody and contribute to our city’s overall traffic infrastructure,” Mayor Matt Hall said in an early October news release welcoming the project.

The city offered its gratitude to WYDOT for “recognizing the importance of these improvements” while noting that Cody’s efforts to improve the corridor continue.

One of the biggest concerns is the safety of the Cody Middle School students who must cross Big Horn Avenue each school day. As part of the effort to address the issue, a temporary pedestrian crossing was added to the highway near its intersection with Freedom Street, which accesses the middle school. Going forward, city officials intend to add permanent median refuge islands and a pedestrian hybrid beacon (a kind of traffic light that only operates when pedestrians are present) at the intersection.

At its Oct. 3 meeting, the Cody City Council agreed to pay Stantec Consulting Services — which conducted an earlier study of Big Horn Avenue — $74,991 to create a preliminary design of the new crossing.

While funding for the actual crossing and islands has yet to be secured, Cody Public Works Director Phillip Bowman recommended the city move forward with the design so the project could theoretically be completed by next fall.

“The emphasis here is to get an early start,” Bowman told the council.

The city has applied for a $1 million grant from WYDOT that would be matched by $105,000 from the city. If approved, the $1.1 million would cover not only the improved crossing at Freedom Street, but a new pedestrian pathway on nearby Roberts Street and improved sidewalk and ADA-compliant ramps around Cody High School.