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PARK CITY — State transportation officials say they've narrowed their options for future traffic improvements to the Kimball Junction part of Park City as the planning process continues.
The Utah Department of Transportation has refined its possible alternatives for the project: a split-diamond interchange configuration on I-80 with intersection and pedestrian/bicycle improvements on state Route 224, or a "variety of road improvements," including pedestrian and bicycle improvements on S.R. 224.
A few versions of the two options have been scrapped, as has a third alternative, which would have focused on "grade-separated intersections with enhanced pedestrian crossing facilities at Ute Boulevard and Olympic Parkway," according to an updated report the agency published on Monday.
All of the proposed ideas were included in an area plan completed in 2021. Becky Stromness, UDOT's manager of the project, explained that the revisions were made after feedback on all of the proposed ideas for handling traffic by I-80 and S.R. 224 at the Kimball Junction section of Park City.
"We have worked for over a year reviewing technical and traffic data, as well as feedback from the public and our agency partners, to help us improve the proposed alternatives to minimize impacts to the surrounding environment and the Kimball Junction community," she said in a statement. "These refined alternatives are an important milestone in the process to find a transportation solution that will be of long-term benefit to this area."
Stromness and other UDOT planners also explained the two remaining alternatives in a nearly 30-minute video that the agency posted online on Monday.
Under Alternative A, the existing I-80/S.R. 224 interchange would be converted into a "tight-diamond configuration," by adding a second highway/freeway access point and splitting up the traffic between the two points. A pair of one-way frontage roads would provide east and west connections to the two intersections, she said.
Crews would also build a shared-use path south of I-80 to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, as well as a pedestrian undercrossing at Ute Boulevard and "intersection improvements" along S.R. 224.
Expansions to S.R. 224 by adding new travel and turn lands, as well as improvements to pedestrian and bicycle accessibility, are featured under Alternative C. In both cases, planners added new bus rapid transit lanes on S.R. 224 in new renderings to incorporate a separate project slated for the area.
UDOT officials said that the two options will go through a "detailed analysis" moving forward before a project is selected. The agency adds that it plans to meet with residents, business owners and other stakeholders as it continues to work toward making a decision.
It's also accepting more public feedback on the proposal. Utahns can submit their comments online by March 27. A draft environmental statement is expected to be released later this year that chooses one of the alternatives before a record of decision may be reached as early as this fall.
