- Utah's SB242 bill, affecting Salt Lake City road projects, advances with a Senate committee's approval.
- The bill mandates collaboration with UDOT on certain projects, sparking local control debates.
- City leaders support revisions but residents express concerns over potential government overreach.
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that could drastically alter how Utah's capital city implements traffic safety projects cleared its first test in this year's legislative session.
Members of the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee voted 4-2 on Monday to favorably recommend SB242. The annual omnibus transportation bill features several transportation topics, but impacts on Salt Lake City road projects overshadowed the rest of the bill for the second straight year.
Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, introduced a revised version before the vote, which mostly clarified sections tied to Salt Lake City road projects. The new version would still require Salt Lake City to partner with the Utah Department of Transportation on certain traffic calming or lane reduction projects, but it:
- Narrow lane requirements from 11 to 12 feet to 10 to 11 feet on Tier 1 and Tier 2 roads, some of the city's busiest roads.
- Clarifies that Salt Lake City has full control of Tier 3 and Tier 4 roads, which are more residential streets; that new parking facilities can offset losses to street parking as long as there's no net loss in stalls; and the state has no authority in setting parking rates.
- Indicates that no recent road safety projects would be removed in Salt Lake City.
Those changes, he said, came after he met with city representatives following the unveiling of the bill last week, which reignited some of the controversy surrounding a similar bill passed in 2025. It doesn't change the bill's intent, which he said is to protect UDOT-owned roads and other state investments in the city.
While Salt Lake City leaders would prefer local control over city roads, they are supportive of Harper's inclusion of the city's concerns in the bill, Salt Lake City Council Chairman Alejandro Puy told KSL after the meeting. He attended the meeting as the city's representative to outline the city's position.
"We still have some work to do, but we are encouraged by (the latest version)," he said. "We think ... these decisions need to be made at the local level, but the state is so invested in our city, we understand this is the best outcome — trying to do it this way."
How we got here
Last year's transportation bill paused some of Salt Lake City's traffic-calming projects for a year and asked the Utah Department of Transportation to study the effects of projects within a large city corridor.
The agency released its findings in October, determining that the projects had little effect on traffic. Those that did experience some commute impacts made up for them with safety improvements.
Related:
Salt Lake City voices concerns on bill calling for new UDOT partnership, other changes
A proposed Utah bill calls on Salt Lake City to partner with state transportation officials before enacting any new traffic safety projects, following a study required in 2025.Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall unveiled the city's formal response to the study a month later, creating a plan that would remove highway reduction strategies — such as new bike lanes and traffic calming measures — on certain roads. UDOT would have to sign off on certain projects for roads that aren't as busy as key corridors but are busier than city streets — similar to what SB242 would do.
Her plan also called for improving access during public and private construction projects, as well as improvements in alerting the public when projects would impact commutes. However, Salt Lake City leaders voiced concerns with how the bill was written to implement pieces of it.
Collaboration or takeover?
Although the bill received revisions from city feedback, that didn't change concerns from residents who packed the committee meeting.
Some called it "micromanagement" or "government overreach" of city roads. Others said last year's SB195 hampered projects that would have benefited residents who live in the city, or that UDOT projects aren't doing enough to provide pedestrian or bicyclist safety.
Elizabeth Converse shared her experience after being hit by a vehicle while riding a bike along the 9-Line at West Temple, a UDOT street, last month. The crash resulted in high medical costs, a chunk of which weren't covered by the at-fault driver, she said.
The legislation stalled an effort to create a safe crossing for students with disabilities to cross between Wasatch Elementary School and its playground, said Julia Lyon, PTA president of Wasatch Elementary School in Salt Lake City.
Some applauded the revisions but said it still had issues. Parts of the proposal fall short of "industry best practice," while preexisting downtown parking garages should be taken into account when considering street parking losses, said Kyle Holland, of Salt Lake City.
More changes to come?
Members of the committee said they understand the concerns, but they also understand the concerns businesses and commuters have with changes to traffic patterns, ultimately leading to their vote to advance the bill.
Sen. Karen Kwan, D-Murray, voted against the measure, saying she was concerned by "some vagueness" in it. However, she said she could see herself favoring it with some additional adjustments.
While the bill advanced to the Senate floor for a full vote, Harper and Puy each said they plan to have open conversations before the end of the legislative session.
"I don't think a bill is ever (finalized) until it's signed by the governor," Harper said. "We'll continue the dialogue."
Lawmakers have until the end of March 6 to approve bills in this legislative session.
