Detour of bypass is a no-go

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
A bypass detour “won’t go any further this summer. … I don’t know about the future,” Mayor Pam Gualtieri told the News Letter Journal. The city had considered requesting a detour of the U.S. Highway 16 bypass on certain occasions, including weekends and holidays. 
On May 17, Don Taylor, Weston County Commissioner and an owner of a downtown business, proposed that the Newcastle City Council ask the Wyoming Department of Transportation to detour out-of-county traffic so that it would not take the U.S. 16 bypass and instead be directed to take Main Street through the city. The goal, he said, was to increase traffic on Main Street, potentially benefiting downtown businesses. 
At the time, little conversation took place and the council did not discuss the topic further until Bruce Perkins, owner of Perkins Tavern on Main Street, told the council on June 7 that he felt there were other more favorable options to increase traffic downtown. 
Perkins said he feared the detour could open a “can of worms” that would cost the city money in road repairs, policing and monitoring the detours. He was also concerned about the potential costs for downtown businesses from the effects of local events that close Main Street and parking. 
“We have events downtown over the summer that are usually planned months ahead of time. How is it going to work with that? Everything would be up to the city to do, and I don’t think we have the resources to do that,” Perkins said. 
Gualtieri assured Perkins that the council was not currently pursuing the detour idea and that the conversation had not gone anywhere after the initial presentation from Taylor. 
The mayor told the News Letter Journal that while she appreciates Taylor’s out-of-the-box thinking, the city did not have time to explore the option further for the 2021 tourist season. 
“I see his point, but it is not feasible because of the events scheduled,” Gualtieri said. “We have to consider the events and the unnecessary workload we would be putting on our already short-staffed police force. There is just too much to consider right now. Opinions might change later.” 
In addition to educating herself and the council on the history of the bypass and its effects on downtown Newcastle in the future, Gualtieri said, it is essential that Newcastle educate local businesses on the different options available to them for promoting their businesses, including using programs through the Wyoming Business Council. 
“There are other ways to bring people downtown,” Gualtieri said. “We need to educate businesses on the avenues and resources available to them.”