- Utah transportation officials want to lower 300 West to allow for a pedestrian plaza outside of Delta Center.
- The plan seeks to create a plaza without disrupting traffic flow.
- The project is part of a $1.8 billion downtown redevelopment initiative surrounding the arena.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah transportation officials say they may have figured out how to build a pedestrian plaza outside of the Delta Center without severely impacting a key roadway that runs alongside the arena.
The project remains in its "infancy stages," but Utah Department of Transportation engineers have zeroed in on a plan that would lower 300 West by approximately 10 feet between South Temple and 100 South. At the same time, a section of Smith Entertainment Group's proposed plaza over the roadway would be raised the same amount above the road, said Robert Stewart, director of UDOT Region 2.
This would create about a 20-foot clearance, allowing people to cross 300 West freely while traffic flows underneath.
That's important because the plaza — an element of the "sports, entertainment, culture and convention district" that the Utah Jazz and Mammoth owner proposed last year — seeks to address transportation alternatives as downtown grows in population and visitation. Meanwhile, Stewart points out 300 West is a "critical road," serving as a portion of U.S. 89 in the area — the reason why UDOT owns the road instead of the city.
"It is a gateway into Salt Lake from the north, so that's one of those things that we are really concerned about," he said. "How do we construct this thing in a way that accommodates that traffic now, and more importantly, making sure we design it in a way that accommodates the traffic of the future?"
Exact logistics are still being hammered out to account for the cost and needs of entities in the area. These include the Japanese Church of Christ, at the corner of 100 South and 300 West, as well as Utah Transit Authority's TRAX light-rail system that crosses 300 West as it runs along South Temple.
While there are no renderings yet as to what this could look like, people don't have to travel far to find a concept that is somewhat similar to what UDOT has in mind. Crews depressed 200 West to allow it to continue underneath the Salt Palace Convention Center, a block east of the 300 West project area.
Crews won't dig as deep down to lower 300 West, and the dip would be longer because the plaza is expected to be about 300 feet wide outside of the arena, Stewart explained. UDOT is seeking to have a contractor and designer by the end of the year, who will flesh out the design after assessing the area's conditions and meeting with all the entities that the project could impact.
Project costs and construction timelines are also unknown until after a more detailed design is put together.
Utah lawmakers allocated $300 million toward the project earlier this year. UDOT's planning also comes as Smith Entertainment Group works to finalize its $55 million acquisition of the Salt Palace between 200 West and 300 West with Salt Lake County. Demolition of the section could begin as early as 2027 to make way for the plaza outside of the Delta Center.
It's a piece of the $1.8 billion redevelopment surrounding the arena that state leaders signed off on this year. Smith Entertainment Group has previously released draft renderings showing a plaza east of the arena where 300 West exists. The company also began a three-year process to renovate the Delta Center this summer.
Ideally, construction to alter 300 West would align with the construction of the plaza, Stewart said. The agency will have to plan out construction mitigation by the time the project begins.
Salt Lake City is serving in a largely advisory role while this all plays out because UDOT owns the road and Smith Entertainment Group is overseeing development of the plaza. Yet, it supports a solution that makes the planned district more walkable, while meeting UDOT's needs for 300 West.
"I think there's an opportunity to create something really special there," said Salt Lake City transportation director Jon Larsen, noting the "super high-pedestrian volume" that frequently forms outside the Delta Center. "If you can do something that keeps traffic flowing and creates a better pedestrian environment, then that's a really big win."
