Latest news with #SB195
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Salt Lake City's big 300 West bike extension plans hit a small snag with the state
A new bike path near the heart of Salt Lake City's growth is about to be extended, but it won't look exactly how city transportation officials first imagined it after a snag with the state. Construction crews are slated to begin work as early as this week on an extension of a protected bike path along 300 West, adding to a recent project that created the bike lane from 900 South to 2100 South. The extension won't result in a full reconstruction of the road as was the case with the initial project, but it will help move the trail to 400 South by the end of the year, where it will connect with another pathway also being constructed this year. 'They're not full reconstructs, and so they don't seem like a big of a deal, but — from a biking perspective — they're a huge deal,' Salt Lake City transportation director Jon Larsen told However, the 300 West path extension won't go as far north as the city had initially hoped because of a new state law. The project's original plans called for the path to reach 300 South, thus crossing through Pioneer Park — one of the city's few downtown parks — along the way. But the latest version of the project, released last week ahead of construction, strikes out the final block. A note at the bottom says it was removed as it's located within the Utah Department of Transportation's right-of-way. 400 South serves as the dividing point in 300 West's unique ownership. Salt Lake City owns and maintains the road south of 400 South, while UDOT owns and manages the road north of it, as the 300 West is part of U.S. 89. 'At UDOT's request, this portion of the bikeway was removed from the project,' the note reads. 'We are currently working to redesign the 400 South crossing to accommodate this request.' Larsen said the state agency didn't explain its decision to Salt Lake City, but UDOT officials told that it was because of SB195. The omnibus transportation bill gained attention because it included a pause on some Salt Lake City transportation projects for a year pending a UDOT study. The pause impacts projects that could reduce vehicle travel lanes on an 'arterial or a collector highway' within the core of the city, such as bike lanes. In a statement, UDOT said it is still 'evaluating' a 300 West bike lane from 400 South to 300 South, along with all other 'highway reduction strategy projects' within the section outlined by SB195. 'In accordance with the law, we will conduct a technical evaluation and solicit public feedback from the entire community on all highway reduction strategy projects,' the agency added. SB195 nearly paused the whole 300 West project altogether. After several public revisions, the city and state settled on a smaller project area scope, along with a provision that allows for projects 'advertised on or before' Feb. 25 to continue. The rest of the project was only allowed to move forward this year because it met this deadline 'by like less than a week,' Larsen said. Despite the 300 South setback, Salt Lake City transportation officials are excited about the project. The new pathway will cross the eastern boundaries of the city's Fleet Block project and the Post District development along the burgeoning Granary District, helping the section of the city become more multimodal. It will still reach the southeastern edge of Pioneer Park, which is slated to receive a major makeover from a completely different project beginning later this year. It'll link up with the 400 South Viaduct Trail as well, which is also under construction this year. The second pathway serves as an east-west connection, bridging people over railroad tracks and around I-15 on their way to 200 West, where it will connect with more protected bike lanes on that street. Both new pathways are expected to be completed by the end of the year. 'We're constantly trying to fill in gaps in our network,' Larsen said, adding that the state did provide some funding for both projects. Salt Lake City transportation officials expect that 400 South will serve a the northernmost point of the 300 West bike pathway — for now. That could change if UDOT allows the 300 South extension to move forward as early as next year. Further additions are also a possibility. Larsen sees value in connecting the pathway to the downtown redevelopment that Smith Entertainment Group is currently planning. Those plans include a plaza east of the Delta Center, where a section of 300 West could be tunneled. Plaza logistics is still being sorted out, but the Utah Legislature set aside $300 million toward the project earlier this year. It's unlikely that planning for any type of connection between the plaza and 300 West bike path will begin soon, but Larsen isn't ready to rule out the possibility of it happening one day. 'We're always playing the long game on these things,' he said. 'We've always had a mentality of ... just keep expanding the network.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Salt Lake City relaunches ‘palooza' to tackle pesky spring potholes
This winter was one of Salt Lake City's least snowy on record, but that didn't stop seasonal roadway damage from happening. A mix of heavy moisture and temperatures bouncing back and forth from record-breaking to below-freezing still wreaked havoc on the 1,905 miles of road the city manages. 'The freeze-thaw cycle, in addition to the stress put (on the asphalt) by driving on the roads, leaves behind many potholes at the end of the season — very noticeable, some of them,' said Jorge Chamorro, director at Salt Lake City's Public Services Department, as he stood by a weathering road near the Jordan River trail in Glendale on Wednesday morning. And while flowers are blooming, trees are budding and birds are singing, spring can be a nightmare for drivers. 'This is one of the worst times of the year to drive,' said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. 'Every mile matters because we have residents, businesses and visitors that use all of them.' Moments later, she pitched in as a road crew got to work filling in some of the cracks in the road with asphalt. This week marks Salt Lake City's third annual 'Pothole Palooza,' during which the city's Streets Services Division puts all its resources into repairing as many damaged spots as possible in a week. They've already filled over 3,300 potholes since Monday and hope to match or break last year's mark of 6,759. The event was created in 2023 after the state's record-breaking snowfall created all sorts of road problems, but it became popular enough to bring back. The city recently invested in a truck that holds all the repair equipment in one vehicle to help crews move to each site faster and reduce the number of vehicles impacting roadways. Yet, since the city deals with so many roads and miles of lanes, Chamorro said his department relies heavily on public feedback on what areas need repairs. People can report potholes through the city's app or website, or by calling 801-535-2345, and teams will add it to the list. Online users are asked to share the location of the problem area, submit a photo and other relevant details. Residents can also track progress online through a city website. Although the palooza ends on Friday, the city still plans on filling many more potholes in the summer months. It just might take a little longer for crews to respond. The city ended up repairing more than 38,000 problem areas in 2024. Even though SB195 will hold up some roadway construction projects originally planned for this year, Mendenhall said it shouldn't impact any pothole repair work later this year. 'We have a crew throughout the year that dedicates solely their time to filling potholes,' Chamorro adds. 'We have a goal that between 48 and 72 hours, that pothole gets filled.'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Salt Lake City says last-second tweak to Utah transportation study is ‘concerning'
The Utah House of Representatives passed an omnibus transportation bill late Tuesday, but with yet another adjustment to a portion about a Salt Lake City transportation study that the city finds 'concerning.' The House voted 60-14 to pass SB195 — now on its fifth version, which its sponsors had viewed as a compromise to concerns the city brought up about a one-year pause in implementing road safety projects. However, critics say a slight change in its language since it cleared a House committee last week could derail the compromise. The Utah Senate refused to concur with the substitute Wednesday evening, sending the issue to a conference committee to resolve. The fifth substitute had called on a "highway reduction strategy" to review "permanently reducing the number of motorized vehicle travel lanes" along with a handful of other strategies that "may increase congestion for motor vehicles" on arterial or collector roads. But the bill language was adjusted again before Tuesday's vote to switch the language back to "highway." Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, the bill's floor sponsor, said it's meant to reflect state roads in the city. The Utah Department of Transportation manages some of the city's roads, including state highways and roads by freeways. He said the substitute would still allow the city to move forward with roadway safety projects that are "already planned and going." The study would evaluate any potential impacts that safety projects have on traffic, including impacts on the arterial and collector roads. "We took that language out — the moratorium — so we just said, 'We're going to evaluate future projects,'" he said. "I feel like — after talking to the city leaders — we came to a position where we're OK with that." However, Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said the slight change to "highway" in the language could have wider impacts. "When we use the word highway, that includes all local and state roads," she said. "I just really have concerns with this language because I know the good sponsors have been working with Salt Lake City — and I don't know if Salt Lake City has had an opportunity to look at this amendment." The vote took place late Tuesday as Salt Lake City meetings had just ended. A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office told Wednesday that the city views the latest version as "concerning" again, adding that the city is working with its legislative team and legislative leadership to address it. Rachel Otto, chief of staff for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, had thanked the bill's sponsors for the original language in the fifth substitute last week. "It's really crucial for Salt Lake City to enact traffic safety measures and make sure that we have a multimodal transportation system that functions safely for all users," she said at the time. "We also want to be sensitive to the growth that Salt Lake City is seeing and ensuring that we are really building a city that works for everyone." Salt Lake City recently approved a budget amendment that included funding more protected bike lanes at Capitol Hill, as well as bike and pedestrian crossing improvements along West Temple. The road safety advocacy group Sweet Streets called the version that passed Tuesday "its worst form yet," asserting that it "reneged on the compromises" made last week. The Utah Senate previously voted to approve a version of the bill that included a one-year moratorium on road safety projects in Salt Lake City, on Feb. 20. Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, the bill's sponsor, proposed the fifth substitute after meeting with the city over its concerns. All bills must clear the House and Senate by the end of Friday and then be signed by Gov. Spencer Cox in order to become law.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Salt Lake City says last-second tweak to Utah transportation study is ‘concerning'
The Utah House of Representatives passed an omnibus transportation bill late Tuesday, but with yet another adjustment to a portion about a Salt Lake City transportation study that the city finds 'concerning.' The House voted 60-14 to pass SB195 — now on its fifth version, which its sponsors had viewed as a compromise to concerns the city brought up about a one-year pause in implementing road safety projects. However, critics say a slight change in its language since it cleared a House committee last week could derail the compromise. The Utah Senate refused to concur with the substitute Wednesday evening, sending the issue to a conference committee to resolve. The fifth substitute had called on a "highway reduction strategy" to review "permanently reducing the number of motorized vehicle travel lanes" along with a handful of other strategies that "may increase congestion for motor vehicles" on arterial or collector roads. But the bill language was adjusted again before Tuesday's vote to switch the language back to "highway." Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, the bill's floor sponsor, said it's meant to reflect state roads in the city. The Utah Department of Transportation manages some of the city's roads, including state highways and roads by freeways. He said the substitute would still allow the city to move forward with roadway safety projects that are "already planned and going." The study would evaluate any potential impacts that safety projects have on traffic, including impacts on the arterial and collector roads. "We took that language out — the moratorium — so we just said, 'We're going to evaluate future projects,'" he said. "I feel like — after talking to the city leaders — we came to a position where we're OK with that." However, Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said the slight change to "highway" in the language could have wider impacts. "When we use the word highway, that includes all local and state roads," she said. "I just really have concerns with this language because I know the good sponsors have been working with Salt Lake City — and I don't know if Salt Lake City has had an opportunity to look at this amendment." The vote took place late Tuesday as Salt Lake City meetings had just ended. A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office told Wednesday that the city views the latest version as "concerning" again, adding that the city is working with its legislative team and legislative leadership to address it. Rachel Otto, chief of staff for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, had thanked the bill's sponsors for the original language in the fifth substitute last week. "It's really crucial for Salt Lake City to enact traffic safety measures and make sure that we have a multimodal transportation system that functions safely for all users," she said at the time. "We also want to be sensitive to the growth that Salt Lake City is seeing and ensuring that we are really building a city that works for everyone." Salt Lake City recently approved a budget amendment that included funding more protected bike lanes at Capitol Hill, as well as bike and pedestrian crossing improvements along West Temple. The road safety advocacy group Sweet Streets called the version that passed Tuesday "its worst form yet," asserting that it "reneged on the compromises" made last week. The Utah Senate previously voted to approve a version of the bill that included a one-year moratorium on road safety projects in Salt Lake City, on Feb. 20. Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, the bill's sponsor, proposed the fifth substitute after meeting with the city over its concerns. All bills must clear the House and Senate by the end of Friday and then be signed by Gov. Spencer Cox in order to become law.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Utah wants to review a key challenge in downtown Salt Lake City plans, but will bill do more than that?
Utah legislators say they are preparing to tackle one of the largest logistical hurdles tied to a grand vision to revitalize downtown Salt Lake City. However, a bill that seeks to advance a transportation study of 300 West, which passed the Senate on Thursday, has also led to confusion about what it means for other projects in Utah's capital city. Utah Senate members voted 19-6 to pass SB195, which outlines many transportation changes, after it was amended a third time. Senate President Stuart Adams clarified to reporters on Friday that a section in the bill about Salt Lake City is intended to describe 300 West, which serves as U.S. 89 in Salt Lake City through 400 South, passing by the arena. It eventually continues down Salt Lake County via State Street. The section calls for a "mobility and environmental impact analysis" to address highway reduction strategies, such as "the impacts of the highway reduction strategy on state highways, local highways, mobility, traffic flow, pedestrian and nonmotorized vehicle flow, the economy, public health, quality of life, air quality, maintenance and operations." It adds there would be a moratorium period from May 7, the date the section goes into effect, and March 6, 2026, barring the city from implementing a "highway reduction strategy or execute an existing highway reduction strategy, including the reduction or narrowing of traffic lanes." Adams explained that that pause would take place to ensure no construction begins to affect 300 West so traffic impacts can be further studied this year. Smith Entertainment Group's renovation plans, which are expected to ramp up this year, call for a retrofit of the Delta Center so it can fit both the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club. Its plans also call for a plaza east of the stadium linking it to a renovated Salt Palace Convention Center, while 300 West would be tunneled underneath. All of it is part of a "sports, entertainment, culture and convention" district that would surround the arena. The Smith Entertainment Group reached a partnership agreement with Salt Lake City in October 2024, creating a new 0.5% sales tax increase that began this year. Harper declined to a request for comment on the bill, but Adams said the study — to be led by the Utah Department of Transportation — would figure out how that would affect not just U.S. 89 but other downtown roads near it. It could review alternate routes for U.S. 89 should 300 West be closed off, which could take it to neighboring roads. "There's work trying to figure out how to handle 3rd West, and how 3rd West actually fits into that process," he said. "If we affect 3rd West, how does it affect other roads in the city? And how do we do the Delta Center hockey stadium rebuild without looking at the road structure downtown? ... It's a kind of a mess in that area." However, the section also sparked confusion over different interpretations. A spokesperson for Salt Lake City confirmed to that the city met with the bill's sponsors on Friday to clear the air on the terms, which begin at the 2,868th line of the omnibus bill. The language stoked concerns that it could target other projects in the city that seek to improve roadway safety and green space, such as the Main Street promenade and Green Loop. The latter would cross U.S. 89 along either North Temple, South Temple or 100 South, depending on a final design, while the 9-Line Trail — its existing backend — already crosses the highway at 900 South and State Street. Those projects could be impacted if there's a major change in U.S. 89. "We are currently working with the bill sponsor to try to address the broad implications of this provision," the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office said in a statement. While he declined to comment on his bill, Harper said — in a statement to — that it was a "very productive initial meeting" with the city and "other stakeholders" to understand their concerns. "I look forward to continuing these productive discussions next week to determine the best path forward," he added. Those who represent the city in the Utah Legislature say they are also reviewing the bill as it moves to the Utah House of Representatives. Sen. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, who was among the group that ultimately voted against it, said she plans to meet with Salt Lake City over concerns. However, she said the state should be able to step in at some level since the highway component complicates 300 West. "I do think there needs to be thoughtfulness, and I do think the state has a role to weigh in on this," she said. Contributing: Bridger Beal-Cvetko
