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ST. GEORGE — A transit service linking St. George to Springdale may be a step closer to reality with a $15 million commitment from the Utah Department of Transportation.

Earlier this month, UDOT’s Transportation Commission approved putting the funds toward investigating the implementation of a transit service linking the gateway of Zion National Park to the heart of Washington County.

The transit service is one of many proposed transportation improvements UDOT has identified in western Washington County related to Zion National Park, which is a part of a larger project connected to recreation hot spots across the state.

“Overall, the Legislature last year approved $100 million for recreational hot spot improvements,” UDOT Region 4 Director Rick Torgerson said.

The Zion area is one of four locations chosen for funding. The others are the Moab and Arches National Park area, Bear Lake area and Little Cottonwood Canyon.

“During that process we’ve been down working a lot with the stakeholders in this area to identify what could help determine what could be done to alleviate congestion, increase economic and tourism opportunities and increase recreational opportunities,” Torgerson said. “Those are the three keystones around hot spot funding.”

Among the ideas discussed are continued improvements to state Route 9, the possibility of paving dirt roads connecting SR-9 and state Route 59, and the transit system connecting to St. George.