Cheyenne, Wyo. – A recent tragedy has struck the intersection of E. Riding Club & Powderhouse Road, as a crash has left one man dead, and two others injured, but a collaboration between Laramie County Law Enforcement, Public Works and residents is aiming at bringing more safety to the area.
Molly Cook, Director for Laramie County Public Works says, “it’s very difficult to keep the emotion out because like I said, that impacts a family that impacts the community as a whole.”
According to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, on January 29th around 6 p.m. deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash at said intersection.
Details state a SUV traveling northbound on Powderhouse failed to stop at the stop sign and collided with a passenger car traveling westbound on Riding Club, where driver of the car, 79 year old John Lemmons died, and the two occupants of the SUV went to the hospital with injuries.
“It’s a difficult intersection to to be aware of or to notice if you’re coming over the hill and the slightest bit distracted,” states Resident Sam Runyan.
Cook tells Wyoming News Now that the road has received complaints dating back to 2019, before she was in her current position, and the fatality crash came with more residents voicing concerns.
The Sheriff’s Office also provided data that shows in the past year over 100 cars have been pulled over in the area, for things like speeding and running stop signs.
Laramie County Public Works Director Molly Cook states in response to the concerns and crash stop signs with flashing lights fitted to the top and road rumble strips are on the way.
The improved stop signs and rumble strips can be found near the area, as E. Riding Club Road (which turns into Ridge Rd. as it heads East, then South) features both as it heads towards E. Four Mile Road.
Cook adds, “it would be like a reminder kind of that’s kind of the intention of those.”
Resident Sam Runyan had even offered to The Sheriff’s Office to pay for the cost of improving the intersection with his own money.
Runyan adds, “I offered to do it knowing that it wouldn’t be a huge expense, but I just don’t want to see anybody hurt there.”
Public Works provided a statement regarding Runyan’s offer, “While we try to continuously explore ways to save taxpayer dollars, the ‘gift-in-kind’ process for a municipality involves significant red tape that can actually lead to higher indirect costs and long delays. To ensure the signs meets our exact specifications and is implemented on schedule, we’ve opted to fund it through the operating budget, which is the most streamlined path available to us.”
Brandon Warner with LCSO adds even with the implementation of flashing stop signs and rumble strips, staying attentive is the key.
Brandon Warner, Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer states, “when you’re behind the wheel, you should be paying attention to driving, your eyes really need to be on on the road. It’s real easy to find yourself in a bad situation.”
Cook says the stop signs, which will cost around $3,000 each (not including installation) and the rumble strips, estimated to be “$500-$1000 in labor” are on order and should be available to be installed “in a couple of weeks.”
Laramie County Public Works runs on The Department of Transportation’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Devices (MTUCD), where according to Cook it creates thresholds for what can be present at an intersection (stop sign, traffic light, etc.) whereas with the crash and traffic data that is available now, a full traffic signal “will do more harm than good.”
date: 2026-02-09 23:41:00
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