A large Wyoming Department of Transportation roadwork project on U.S. Highway 14A between Powell and Ralston is set to start Monday, and with it will be a solution to ease some of the Albertsons parking lot congestion.

"We're able to address public input there at Alberstons," WYODT spokesman Cody Beers said Monday, noting the department has received input from hundreds of people, including the mayor, since Albertsons opened. 

To kick the project off, WYDOT has scheduled a public meeting April 13 in the City of Powell City Council Chambers to update the public.

Prime contractor Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell will run the 10 a.m. public meeting, during which the contractor will present its upcoming project schedule for the $5.26 million project. The meeting will also include a question-and-answer period.

Mountain Construction and its subcontractors are tentatively scheduled to set up traffic control in the westbound lane of U.S. Highway 14A from Cheyenne Street to South Edmonds Street on Monday for the removal and replacement of broken curb and gutter, double gutter, sidewalk and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades, according to a press release.

"One-lane traffic will be carried in the inside lane while work is completed in the outside lane adjacent to the curb and gutter," said Wyoming Department of Transportation resident engineer Todd Frost of Cody.

The "Powell West" project begins at milepost 18.689 (at the railroad tracks in Ralston) and extends east 5.1 miles to Powell, ending at milepost 23.789 (Cheyenne Street).

Work on the project includes rotomilling the existing highway driving surface, placing a 2-inch asphalt pavement overlay and a three-fourths inch asphalt wearing course, chip sealing county road approaches, minor slope flattening, ADA upgrades, replacing broken curb, gutter, double gutter and sidewalk, and other improvements.

WYDOT spokesman Cody Beers said work will continue west along the north side of the street to Ralston, before returning east along the south side of the street.

"For the most part it should move [traffic] without any problems," he said.

At a February STIP meeting put on by WYDOT staff at the Park County commissioners, District Engineer Pete Hallsten said in addition to mill and overlay work on the road and sidewalk/ADA improvements, workers will take the opportunity to change the entrance to Albertsons as a way to improve traffic flow. The plan, which was worked out with Albertsons, is to line up the entrance not with a row of parking spots but with a lane between parking spaces.

Last summer, WYDOT District Traffic Engineer Jack Hoffman explained that moving and slightly widening the entrance to the grocery store east toward town, so that instead of vehicles driving into a T as cars decide to turn left or right into parking lanes, they would be entering on one side of the lot as the entrance would essentially line up with the alley to the right of the store. Hoffman said it could help with the flow, especially during busy times. 

"As a two-block section finishes, work will proceed two blocks west at a time for the concrete work through the road's curb and gutter section," Frost said. "Once work is completed in the westbound lane of U.S. 14A, work will switch to the eastbound lane in the curb and gutter section.

"A 12-foot width restriction will go into effect for the project starting April 13."

Highway accesses will be maintained during construction. Pedestrian traffic will be diverted around the work zone, Frost said.

Frost said rotomilling of pavement is tentatively scheduled to begin after the July 4 holiday.

"Paving is tentatively scheduled to start toward the end of July and will continue in August," Frost said.