October 2017 | Vol. 14 Iss. 10
FREE
HIGH T INTERSECTION CONSTRUCTION UPDATE By Cassie Goff | cassie@mycityjournals.com
O
n August 24, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) broke ground for a construction project on the intersection of Little Cottonwood Canyon Road and Wasatch Boulevard (otherwise known as the Wasatch Boulevard/SR 201 Interchange or the La Caille turnoff). This project involves restructuring the intersection to a high-T intersection, which is a type of intersection used for three-way roads with high traffic volume. This construction project has created tension between the Cottonwood Heights City Council, UDOT and some of the surrounding residents. Much of the tension stems from the ownership of the boulevard. Wasatch Boulevard is a state-owned highway, not a city road;, so UDOT has jurisdiction over the entire boulevard. The purpose of this construction is to generally “improve safety and access at the intersection,” UDOT says. More specifically, UDOT’s purposes are to alleviate congestion for northbound traffic by creating free-flowing movement, improve safety accessing Wasatch Boulevard from Danish Road and Sutton Way and improve overall visibility at the intersection by modifying the alignment, among others. On May 16, Project Manager Peter Tang visited the Cottonwood Heights City Council to present UDOT’s high-t intersection construction plan. “Before construction begins, we will send out waivers and have an open house, explaining what the contractor will do, semantics, estimated shutdown times, etc. We will be doing everything we can to alert traffic to take alternative routes. We will also be coordinating with Snowbird.” On April 12, UDOT hosted an open house at Canyon View Elementary. One of the main issues brought forth by residents during the open house concerned the traffic gaps provided by the signal for the surrounding neighborhoods trying to access Wasatch Boulevard. This, and additional safety concerns brought forth by
The proposed high T intersection for SR-210 at the La Caille turnoff. (Peter Tang/UDOT)
residents, was to be discussed in a preconstruction meeting with UDOT, the contracted construction company and Cottonwood Heights Public Works. In August, months later, many residents were still concerned about this construction project. “I don’t see the safety in that intersection. I’m floored that UDOT can work with the city over a period of time and can’t get the safety right. The project impacts more than just that intersection,” Kimberly Crone said. On August 22, many neighbors joined at the city council meeting to voice their comments.
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“Removing the northbound stop light at the Wasatch and SR-210 intersection will serve to further degrade the quality of safety and mobility of drivers that utilize Wasatch Boulevard on a daily basis, all year long,” resident Eric Kraan said. “It induces a domino effect of hardship and danger to dayto-day users, and causes increased safety with driver ingress/ egress within immediate and adjoining neighborhoods.” Resident Linda Brooks resides within one of the neighborhoods directly off of Wasatch Boulevard. “It’s very dangerous to pull out of that intersection. If we were to go south, the only thing that gives us a break to get on the boulevard
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