Norris Viaduct

Summary of Project

This project includes the reconstruction and relocation of Norris Viaduct from the Nationway/Logan intersection south over the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks to an intersection at 5th Street and the front gate of the Frontier Refinery. (The current southern terminal of the Viaduct is at 5th Street and Duff Avenue.) The project then continues from the 5th Street and Frontier Refinery intersection southwest on 5th Street to the Morrie Avenue/5th Street intersection, turning southeast from there and running on Morrie Avenue from 5th Street to 1st Street. The new bridge would be architecturally pleasing and the street segments will be designed with landscaping and streetscaping and a Greenway in order to beautify the neighborhood along with buffering the neighborhood from the refinery.

View the accepted alignment: Alignment Option F

In the area known as the “Original” City of Cheyenne (Platted in 1868), there are three locations where vehicular and pedestrian traffic cross the large Union Pacific Railroad yard. One of these crossings, located east of the downtown, is known as Norris Viaduct. Constructed in 1952, Norris Viaduct provides a vital link between the neighborhoods south of the railyard to the neighborhoods and major commercial centers located north of the railyard.

Additionally, the intersection of Duff Avenue and 5th Street and 5th Street and Morrie Avenue are hazardous and confusing intersections that need to be redesigned and reconstructed. The project includes the approach from the east (Campstool Road) which will connect to the south approach to the realigned Norris Viaduct. The project would end at a newly reconstructed intersection at First Street. These street improvement projects will assist in providing for the increasing traffic volumes in the area, and will discourage traffic from using the local streets within the neighborhoods, dividing those neighborhoods.

The Norris Viaduct reconstruction project has been and will continue to be a high priority for the City of Cheyenne and the surrounding neighborhoods. The Norris Viaduct Reconstruction Conceptual Plan was adopted in 1998 and was prepared by BenchMark of Cheyenne, P.C.. From that conceptual plan, the projected cost for the total project was estimated to be $12,683,909. The structure section was estimated to cost $9,057,932 and the street section was estimated to cost $3,625,977. There were $3.5 million dollars allocated by the United States Congress in the reauthorization of The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) as a “High Priority Projects Program”. At this point of in time, it is believed that the City Governing Body will request that this project be placed on the November, 2003 ballot for the 1% Specific Purpose Sales and Use Tax election consideration. Other Federal and State funding options will be explored too. This includes a current request to the US Congress through the help of WYDOT for $7,000,000 in the 2003 authorization of the Federal Transportation Legislation (TEA-3).