Portion of East Teton Blvd.closed for ADA project

A portion of East Teton Boulevard between Bridger Drive and Alabama Drive will be closed for the next few weeks for a project that will make the area more accessible and compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations.

DeBernardi Construction Company is the contracted company completing the project. Work began on August 10 and is expected to last 2-3 weeks.

Detours around the area will include routes on West Teton, Alabama Drive, and Bridger Drive. Commuters traveling to the north side of the city can also take Colorado Drive to Upland Way.

The project will install ADA compliant ramps at the corner of East Teton and Alabama Drive and where East Teton and the Greenbelt intersect, according to City of Green River Public Works Director Mark Westenskow. This project is a follow-up to a previous ADA improvement project that installed ramps where East Teton intersects with Bridger Drive, Westenskow said.

Harrison Elementary School, which is close to the area where the project is being completed, has an accessible playground, so it’s especially important to make the area around the school accessible, Westenskow said. He hopes the project will make the East Teton safer and easier to use for wheelchairs as well as things like strollers and bicycles.

Widening sidewalks and installing storm inlets will be part of the project as well. Westenskow explained that the sidewalk dipped in spots and stormwater would flow over the sidewalk, so the storm inlets will help the water drain properly and make the area safer.

This project is funded with grants through the Wyoming Department of Transportation Transportation Alternatives Program. According to WYDOT, “Transportation Alternatives (TA) are federally funded, community-based projects that expand travel choices and enhance the transportation experience by integrating modes and improving the cultural, historic, and environmental aspects of our transportation infrastructure.” Funding for TA projects is matched 80/20, which Westenskow said is a good investment for the city.