Wilson Downtown Improvement Project

Wilson Advocacy held a meeting at Old Wilson School House to inform locals of the Teton County’s Wilson Multi-Modal Transportation Plan.

Brian Schilling, Public Works & Teton County Pathways Coordinator, present past plans and updates to the Wilson Multi-Modal Transportation Plan and answers questions.

Enhanced safety, crosswalks, pathways, trees & more

Teton County is now finalizing construction plans for the Wilson Downtown Improvement Project. Eight years in development, the project will improve safety for all modes of travel and enhance the commercial core in the town of Wilson. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to move about town more safely with comfortable pathways on each side, with well-marked crosswalks to assist peiople when crossing the busy highway. Vehicle collisions will be reduced with a turn lane added at the Post Office, speeds will be lower witt the visually narrowed highway, street trees can be added, and transit riders wil have a proper bus stop. The project will link downtown Wilson to our valley-wide pathway and transit system, improve traffic flow on WY-22, and protect wildlife and our quality of life.

The project is necessary to address a vast increase in traffic on Highway 22. From 2009 to 2024, traffic volume has tripled, crashes increased, and speeding is a chronic problem. Today pedestrians must walk along a dirt shoulder and struggle to cross the highway. There is no silver bullet to mitigate such busy traffic, and any changes to the State Highway must also be approved by WYDOT. The Wilson Multi-Modal Transportation Plan was developed to address these issues, and is build on teh extensive public input, expert design help, and support from Teton County commissioners and staff. The resulting plan is a great example of how the community and government can work to together to solve problems.

Unfortunately, despite the long planning history, a good deal of misinformation has recently been circulating in our community. To help inform the community with the facts, Wilson Advocacy hosted a public meeting on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 and invited Teton County staff to explain the process that resulted in the Wilson Downtown Improvement Project and to listen to concerns.

We then compiled the following document that responds to the questions raised at the meeting, available HERE.