Making room for roundabout By Cassie Goff | cassie@mycityjournals.com
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oundabouts have been popping up all over the state. In Cottonwood Heights, the city’s first roundabout on Bengal Boulevard is planned for construction in spring of next year. It will take the place of the two signaled intersections approximately 200 feet apart — one at 2300 East and the other at 2325 East. On April 18, an open house was held to receive public comment on the environmental impact of the roundabout; specifically, to consider two homes at 2312 E. and 2318 E. Bengal Blvd. Since both of these homes are technically categorized as historical because they are over 40 years old and are eligible for listing on the National Registry of Historic Places (NRHP), there has been concern over the right-of-way acquisition to demolish the homes to make way for the roundabout. In attempts to address these concerns, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and the Utah State historic preservation officer have reached an agreement. Ac-
cording to their memorandum of agreement, “UDOT shall allocate funds in the amount up to $10,000 to the Cottonwood Heights Historic Committee for the publication of a book of this history of Cottonwood Heights. These funds will be allocated before the project has completed construction.” In addition, Cottonwood Heights plans to erect an interpretive plaque near the old location of the homes explaining and recognizing their historical significance. Other than acquiring the land of those homes, along with some land from the LDS church property, there have been no new changes to the roundabout plan, which was covered in July of last year. After the open house, city engineers will work through each of the approximate 30 resident comments. They will respond where necessary with possible revisions. After the environmental impact study section of the process is completed, UDOT and Cottonwood Heights will find a design engineer to
move forward with the plans. Construction will not begin until spring of next year. “People have been interested and engaged,” said City Engineer Brad Gilson. The proposed roundabout will be within District 2 of the city, Councilmember Scott Bracken’s district. In fact, he lives fairly close to where the roundabout will be constructed. He has been watching the progress of the roundabout closely. “I have an interest in this project, considering where I live,” said Bracken. One of the important points for Bracken is the impact on air quality. The roundabout could reduce up to 100 hours of idling and the relative emissions per day. There are 17,000 cars that use those two intersections per day — which sounded like quite a lot to Bracken, before he spent an afternoon on that intersection counting cars. Mayor Mike Peterson emphasized the importance of the process the city team has been working through, and the involvement
of residents. “As with anything new for the city, we need to listen to the constituents’ feedback.” Peterson’s primary concern surrounding the roundabout is public safety; especially after listening to numerous resident comments worried about pedestrian safety. “We want to educate everyone (both drivers and pedestrians alike) about how it works,” said Peterson. When designing the roundabout, efforts will be made to address those concerns about roundabout safety. “We don’t want people in the roundabout,” said Public Works Director Matt Shipp. “We will be putting in landscaping to discourage pedestrians.” In tandem, Canyons School District is in the process of construction for a new building for Brighton High School. Their plans for the back parking lot anticipate the roundabout and accompanying road. l
Canyons transportation open house draws crowds and opinions By Joshua Wood | joshw@mycityjournals.com
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esidents packed city hall on April 9 for an open house detailing potential projects for improving access to the Cottonwood Canyons. Project managers and other representatives of UDOT, UTA, the US Forest Service and the Central Wasatch Commission presented a range of project possibilities. Residents were invited to give input on project ideas and to share what issues were most important to them. Prior to the open house, UDOT adjusted its environmental impact statement (EIS) for Wasatch Boulevard to focus on things like trailhead parking, avalanche mitigation and traffic congestion. “We are looking at transportation solutions in the Cottonwood Canyons,” said John Thomas of UDOT. “We’re looking at a wide range of alternatives including mountain transportation, which includes rail, gondola, buses. We’re also looking at adding a third lane in Little Cottonwood and what that effect might be and whether it would be beneficial or not.” Officials at the open house said they were also trying to understand how people use the canyons and what their priorities are. The lack of amenities like restrooms and information for hiking trails in the canyons was one issue cited for improvement. “As a body, the Central Wasatch Commission will be evaluating and ranking different improvements over different timelines,” Thomas said. “Some actions might be done this summer, some might be done in a couple or three years, and some might be done in the next 10 or 20 years. So we’re trying to understand what improvements over what timeline
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are most important.” Issues cited by officials as requiring more immediate attention included critical drinking water and protecting the watershed. UDOT put a longer timeline on transportation solutions. Meanwhile, some in attendance were skeptical of the solutions presented and the process altogether. “We’re getting things backwards,” said Pat Shea, who serves on an advisory committee for Friends of Alta. “We’re getting an EIS on the highway, but we’re not looking at the overall environment. I’d like to see a fee for going up and down the canyons unless you’re a resident or an employee, like they’ve done in Millcreek, and keep the money in the canyons to protect our watershed. That’s the most important thing we’ve got there.” Concerns about protecting the watershed were voiced by a number of people in attendance. Others expressed frustration with the process. “There is no solution,” said one resident who wished to remain anonymous. “All the program managers just want to advocate for their project. There is no advocate for people like me who say to do nothing.” As evidenced by the range of opinions expressed by residents, the complexity of the issues was apparent during the open house. While some supported the idea of more frequent busing in and out of the canyons, others questioned if it would be feasible to have enough buses available on powder days during ski season. Some residents pushed for straightforward solutions they thought could help
address issues like traffic congestion. “It seems to me they need to enforce the snow tire laws,” said a longtime resident of Cottonwood Heights. “You do that, and you get rid of the traffic jams. We keep getting stuck behind cars with the wrong tires. You’ve got to enforce the tires.” Despite the conflicting opinions, officials were happy with attendance at the open house. “The turnout is great, especially given the weather,” said Lindsey Nielsen of the Central Wasatch Commission. “We didn’t know what to expect, so we’re pleased with this.” Officials stressed the importance of the open house and the role of resident input. “The open house is really critical,” said
Thomas. “This is really the compilation of 30 years of work. We want to put that all out on the table for everybody, and it’s critical to get their input. Their input becomes part of the process, and we can evaluate that to understand different issues associated with it.” Shea was not so sure. “I think it’s a prelude to a train and building a tunnel so they’ll have something new for the Olympics.” Stormy weather didn’t keep residents from lining up to ask questions and share their opinions. They talked with representatives of UDOT, UTA, the Forest Service and Central Wasatch Commission and tried to make their voices heard over the din of the crowd. l
Residents shared their thoughts at the recent open house for projects in and around the Cottonwood Canyons. (Joshua Wood/City Journals)
May 2019 | Page 11