Emigration Canyon getting a safety makeover


8 photos
Save Story
Leer en espaƱol

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

EMIGRATION CANYON - Bikers, hikers and drivers who frequent Emigration Canyon will be happy to know construction crews are working tirelessly to make the roads in that area safer for all who travel them.

Rick Riale is invested in the Emigration Canyon cleanup. He's on the community council and an avid biker. "I see what the problem is," he said.

But there isn't just one problem - there are many. The hazards facing travelers in the canyon can be serious.

"Broken axles, bikers having to swerve out of the way to avoid rocks that fall onto the road," said Riale.

Salt Lake City awarded the slope stabilization project $250,000. Crews have been working to clear out clogged ditches to ready the area.

"As debris sluff off the canyon it will fall into that ditch," said Patrick Leary with Salt Lake County Public Works.

Crews are working to prevent debris from falling in the first place. "Rocks that are constantly falling down on the road, those have been re-sculpted," Leary said. "Then we're going to be putting plants in those areas too to try and hold that back naturally."

But Emigration Canyon needs more than just a face lift. Its culverts have surpassed their lifespan.

"As the water undercuts that culvert the roads begin to collapse and you have the real danger of the road collapsing while someone is going across it," said Leary.

The old culverts will be replaced with a new concrete kind, paid for by the National Conservation Resource Council.

All the improvements sound beneficiary for safety, but will they change the main reason why so many flock to the canyon - it's natural beauty?

Those working on the project say, absolutely not.

"This looks a little nasty but we're going to come and reseed it and put some plants in here," said Riale.

This project is more of an ongoing process. They're hoping to get more money come next year. Once they begin reseeding they'll start looking for volunteers.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Devon Dolan

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast