15th Street closure set for summer construction near UW campus

Nearby businesses, campus housing and downtown traffic felt the first squeeze as 15th Street closed between Grand Avenue and Ivinson Avenue for summer street work near the University of Wyoming campus. The shutdown began June 3 and was set to run through the end of July, cutting off one of Laramie’s key connectors just as students, employees and residents moved across the city for work, errands and deliveries.

The detour shifted drivers to 22nd Street, pushing more traffic onto surrounding neighborhood roads and campus-adjacent corridors. For anyone trying to move between downtown Laramie and the university core, the closure meant planning ahead for parking, access to storefronts and routine trips that normally rely on 15th Street as a direct route.

The new closure came on top of another long-running disruption nearby. Ivinson Avenue between Eighth Street and 15th Street had already been closed since May 18 and was expected to remain shut through Thursday, Oct. 15. City of Laramie senior engineer William Winkler said the Ivinson Avenue closure, including the intersection at Ninth Street, would significantly affect traffic circulation in the surrounding area.

That made the latest 15th Street shutdown more than an isolated construction update. With both corridors affected, drivers crossing the area around UW had fewer easy options, and the impact spread beyond commuters to the people who live, shop and work near campus. Deliveries, daily access to buildings and the movement of vehicles through nearby blocks all faced delays as the summer work continued.

City staff was coordinating with UW Transportation Services director Paul Kunkle and the University of Wyoming housing office in an effort to limit the disruption to campus operations and residential access as much as possible. Even so, the closure tightened the flow through a central part of Laramie that serves Albany County residents heading to the university, downtown and nearby neighborhoods.

With 15th Street closed through July and Ivinson Avenue set to stay shut into mid-October, the main routes around the university area will remain under pressure for much of the summer. Drivers will need to build in extra time and use 22nd Street as the primary alternate while construction continues.