Laramie road work stays on schedule, Ivinson Avenue closures continue

Crews on Laramie’s biggest summer street job kept moving through the city core as Ivinson Avenue remained closed between 15th Street and 9th Street. The latest city update said the work that began in March was still on pace to finish by the end of October 2026, but the project continues to redraw traffic, parking and delivery routes around downtown and the University of Wyoming corridor.

On Ivinson, asphalt and concrete have already been removed between 8½ Street and 15th Street, while asphalt stayed in place through the 12th and 13th Street intersection for cross-traffic. The city said crews installed a new 18-inch and 21-inch sanitary sewer main between 8½ and 11½ streets, along with a new 8-inch water line between 13th and 15th streets and along 14th Street. Access has improved in a few spots: 9th Street has reopened, and the south entrance to the 14th Street parking lot is open again.

The next two weeks will bring more disruption. The city said work will continue on sanitary sewer installation to 12½ Street, with 12th Street closed during the crossing. Temporary water will be set up for residents along the 13th to 14th Street alley, where crews will begin installing both an 8-inch sanitary sewer main and an 8-inch water main. For drivers trying to reach shops, offices or homes in the area, the practical problem remains the same: access is improving block by block, but closures are still part of daily travel through the city center.

The Ivinson Infrastructure Upgrades Phase II project was awarded to Western Municipal Contractors for $10,879,790, with a contingency of $1,087,979. City budget documents say the project needed another $3,896,053 from capital construction, wastewater and water funds. City records say Ivinson Avenue, along with 12th, 13th and 14th streets between Grand Avenue and Ivinson Avenue, are heavily used because of their proximity to the University of Wyoming and were in deteriorating condition.

Ivinson is part of a broader 2026 street rehabilitation program that covers nine lane-miles of mill-and-overlay work, plus curb and gutter work, ADA ramps and spot base repair. The city funded that program with a $14 million transfer from committed reserves into the capital construction fund. Other summer work is lined up as well: Colorado paving is scheduled for June 25 through July 3, Spring Creek for July 13 through July 22, 22nd Street for August 10 through August 21 and 4th Street for August 24 through September 4. With the city’s Streets Division staffed by 12 full-time employees, much of the heavy lifting is falling to contractors, and the city’s construction map remains the place to track which blocks are open, closed or shifting next.