Emerging Area Transportation Plan

Emerging Areas and Transportation Planning Wasatch Back as an Emerging Area

WASATCH BACK
Over the past few years, Utah has seen a
tremendous increase in population and economic
growth, making it the fastest growing state in the
country in 2008 and second fastest in 2009. This
provides many opportunities for Utah communities
while simultaneously spurring a significant
often reflect the planning entities’ priorities rather
than the priorities of the region. This Emerging
Area Plan for the Wasatch Back is intended to
provide an overall long-term vision for the region
and to give each jurisdiction an idea of the plans
of others. Current and future transportation and
Wasatch and Summit Counties’ population is expected to increase more than 200 percent
between 2000 and 2040, a jump from almost 50,000 residents to nearly 170,000.
Not unlike other areas in Utah, the Wasatch Back WASATCH BACK POPULATION: 1993-2040
expects to continue growing in both population

EM E R GI N G A R E A PL A N
180 Wasatch County
and employment in coming decades. Summit and

Population in Thousands
challenge—to plan a strong regional and statewide planning studies in the area should complement this 160
Summit County
transportation system. agreed-upon vision. While this plan is not intended Wasatch Counties are becoming increasingly popular 140
to commit local governments to a particular places to live, work, and recreate and population 120
In 2007, the Utah Department of Transportation
transportation plan and has not gone through and employment projections reflect this. 100
(UDOT) began studying rural areas currently 80
experiencing higher-than-normal levels of growth— official public involvement and adoption processes, With commuting times to Salt Lake and Utah 60
dubbed “emerging areas.” Both population and it is UDOT’s hope that the Regional Transportation Counties of 30-45 minutes, Wasatch and Summit 40
employment data is compiled and analyzed by Vision map will be a useful tool for the Wasatch Back Counties have become a haven for people seeking 20
county in order to identify “emerging areas” across planning partners. a scenic, alpine setting within close proximity to
urban amenities. The Governor’s Office of Planning 1993 1997 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040
the state. UDOT’s emerging area planning prioritizes Currently, there are nine projects in the emerging Source: Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget

areas in need of assistance, and focuses planning
attention on areas which will benefit most from
early, thoughtful planning.
area included in UDOT’s Long Range Transportation and Budget provides population projections by
Plan 2007-2030: county over the next several decades from a
WASATCH BACK EMPLOYMENT: 1993-2040
baseline 2008 population.
• Widening 5.4 miles of state Route 224 from state
Like population, employment in Summit and 120

During the process of completing the Wasatch Back
Emerging Area Plan, the study team coordinated
with community leaders to ensure that a regional
transportation vision, looking several decades into
the future, was developed and understood. While
counties, cities, and other agencies in the study
area have done a lot of good planning, these plans
Route 248 to Interstate 80 (Phase 1, 2007-2015)
• Widening 8.2 miles of S.R. 248 from Park City to
Wasatch County line (Phase 2, 2016-2025)
• Widening 8.5 miles of state Route 32 from Kamas to
Oakley (Phase 3, 2026-2030)
• Widening 10.6 miles of U.S. Highway 189 from Deer
Creek down to U.S. Highway 40 (Phase 3, 2026-2030)
• Widening 17.5 miles of I-80 from the mouth of Parley’s
Canyon to Silver Creek Junction (Unfunded phase)
• Widening 9.8 miles of U.S. 40 from U.S. 189 to Daniels
Road (Unfunded phase)
• Widening 2.4 miles of state Route 113 from Midway to
U.S. 40 (Unfunded phase)
• Widening 3.9 miles of S.R. 113 from U.S. 189 to Midway
Main Street (Unfunded phase)
• Widening 1.9 miles of state Route 222 from Midway
Main Street to Burgi Lane (Unfunded phase)
Employment in Thousands
Wasatch County
Wasatch Counties is expected to grow over the 100 Summit County
next several decades, from about 25,000 jobs 80
in 2000 to over 100,000 in 2040. Currently, the
60
employment sector which accounts for the most
jobs in each county is Accommodations and Food 40
Services, not surprising given the importance of 20
the tourism and recreation industry in the area.
0
This area is expected to remain the largest 1993 1997 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040
employment sector in the future in both counties. Source: Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget
These expected increases in population and
employment have important implications for the The Wasatch Back area of northern Utah sits astride
transportation network. More people and jobs mean three of the state’s primary freight routes, I-80,
more demand on transportation infrastructure. U.S. 40, and U.S. 189. However, aside from some
Especially important to consider is an employment light industry on the east side of Park City, on Heber
sector that is weighted towards the service industry. City’s southwest side, and in the Kamas area, there
Often, these kinds of jobs are lower paying and yet is little freight generated in this area. Most freight
concentrated in areas where land values are high, traveling on the Wasatch Back is passing through,
like Park City. This typically means longer commutes or providing deliveries to places such as local
for workers as they find housing in more affordable supermarkets and home improvement centers.
areas and travel to jobs in other places.

The Regional Transportation Vision

In discussions with stakeholders throughout the planning process, several key
themes emerged that were important for consideration in the Emerging Area Plan Kamas and Francis S.R. 32 Creating safer roadways Kearns Boulevard S.R. 248 Encouraging alternative modes Kimball Junction & The Canyons Resort S.R. 224 Reducing the need for vehicles
and future plans.
• Recognize and celebrate the individual and unique identities of each community.
• Connect communities with multi-modal options including transit and trails.
• Accommodate projected growth without sacrificing quality of life.
• Embrace the area as a recreational destination while also understanding its relationship to the
Wasatch Front urban area.

HOT SPOTS
During the Emerging Area Plan process, discussions with agency staff and stakeholders
revealed that several areas within the region would likely need more attention from
city, county, Wasatch Rural Planning Organization (RPO) or UDOT staff. Each of these
areas, called “Hot Spots,” was identified and mapped for unique reasons such as traffic
congestion, access management issues, or development pressures. It is recommended that
more discussion and coordination take place among the affected jurisdictions in order to
proactively address the issues associated with the following Hot Spots.
• Mayflower Interchange • Guardsman Pass
• Kamas and Francis – S.R. 32 • Midway to Provo Canyon – S.R. 113
• Heber Bypass Area • Kimball Junction and The Canyons Resort – S.R. 224
• Transit • Kearns Boulevard – S.R. 248
A Regional Transportation Vision with a transportation network that reflects the themes
and identifies the Hot Spots is displayed on the map (see other side).
This planning process brought together neighboring communities to discuss growth and
transportation issues, to identify solutions at the community, regional and statewide levels,
and to form a common vision. While this is a non-binding document, it is UDOT’s hope that
the Regional Transportation Vision will provide an overall long-term vision for the region
and will continue to be a useful tool to the planning partners involved and that future
development and projects will complement this agreed-upon vision.
The roads, trails, or other improvements shown on the map are not intended to obligate
any agency to construct any specific project. Instead, this is offered as an overall vision
of a future transportation network for the area. This vision should be revisited and
updated as necessary or when conditions or assumptions change.
Many are concerned about the ability of S.R. 32 to continue to provide safe road
conditions given the increasing traffic, multiple driveway accesses, and growing
popularity of road bicycling in the corridor. Key concerns in the corridor are
sufficient pavement width and providing more room for vehicles to maneuver if
they are in a dangerous situation with a car entering traffic or a bicycle.
In addition, anticipated residential developments south of S.R. 32 in Wasatch
County are likely to impact the corridor in Francis, Kamas, and Oakley.
S.R. 32 will likely still provide the most direct access to commercial services.
Potential future traffic congestion in this corridor may cause traffic to spill over
to local streets that cannot accommodate increased traffic volumes.
NEXT STEPS:
• Francis, Kamas, Oakley, and Summit County should work with UDOT Region Two to begin
to identify future travel demand in the corridor and strategies to accommodate it such as
updated access management standards, bicycle infrastructure, and speed limit analysis.
• UDOT has identified this section of S.R. 32 as a “Priority Bicycle Route.” In addition,
it is included on UDOT’s Long Range Transportation Plan for widening in Phase 3
(2026-2030). Improvements should be considered together and an overall strategy and
timeframe for these improvements should be determined.
• Local governments should update their plans to reflect possible impacts of nearby
developments. This does not necessarily mean that they should plan to widen roads
in order to accommodate traffic volumes, but instead determine how to best mitigate
traffic through access management plans, traffic impact studies, and providing
alternative routes.
S.R. 248 is the primary access to Park City from Heber City, Oakley, Kamas, Francis
and Wasatch County. It is considered the “back door” to Park City and is becoming
an increasingly popular road given that many of Park City’s employees commute
from other areas. The S.R. 248 corridor is becoming congested and with new
facilities such as the hospital and planned developments like Park City Heights,
traffic volumes are expected to continue to increase without a major shift in modes
or travel patterns. Compounding the issue is that S.R. 248 (Kearns Boulevard)
is the primary access to Park City’s elementary, middle, and high schools. The
morning peak hour is especially congested as people commute to work and
students are being dropped off at school.
Park City, along with UDOT Region Two, recently completed a study of S.R. 248
between S.R. 224 and U.S. 40. Given traffic projections in the corridor, the road is
likely to need to maximize its capacity at some point in the future. Park City would
like to minimize the impacts of this while taking full advantage of a new park-and-ride
lot at the intersection of S.R. 248 and U.S. 40 by first offering Express Lanes in order
to encourage people to get out of single-occupant vehicles.
NEXT STEPS:
• Park City should continue in its commitment to identify TravelWise strategies in order
to maximize efficiency of the S.R. 248 corridor. This may include requiring employee
parking at the U.S. 40 park-and-ride lot, providing incentives for high-occupancy vehicles,
and continuing to support bicyclists and pedestrians in the corridor.
• UDOT Planning and Region Two can work with Park City to identify partnering
opportunities in maximizing the capacity of the road. TravelWise offers
several opportunities to work together to best use existing facilities.
In recent years, Kimball Junction has become an increasingly popular destination
with new commercial developments such as Redstone and mixed-use areas like
Newpark. Summit County recently approved a research park in the area that will
include over 1 million square feet of office, commercial, affordable housing, and
public land uses, and will be a major trip generator in the area. In addition, The
Canyons Resort is planning to add 1.3 million square feet of commercial space to its
hotel and residential uses.
The S.R. 224 corridor, which connects Park City, The Canyons, and Kimball Junction to I-80,
is congested during peak travel hours. Without significant effort to get people out of single-
occupant vehicles, the addition of major trip generators in the corridor will only increase an
already apparent problem.
Summit County has done a lot of planning for and analysis of these developments and
put together a transportation plan for the Snyderville Basin that addresses these and
other developments. In addition, the County is working closely with The Canyons Resort,
requiring it to produce a TravelWise (UDOT’s travel demand management program)
plan to significantly reduce traffic to and from the resort. Strategies include carpooling
incentives, a transit center at the resort, and developing the area at a walkable scale.
Please see TravelWise.utah.gov for more information.
NEXT STEPS:
• Summit County should continue its dynamic working relationship with The Canyons Resort
and require it to produce a TravelWise plan to reduce the traffic impacts of the resort’s
development on S.R. 224.
• Park City, Summit County, and UDOT Region Two should continue to work together to
identify long-term impacts of development in the S.R. 224 corridor and potential mitigation
strategies including long range improvements such as Express Lanes and a new
interchange on I-80 at the view area.

Guardsman Pass Balancing access and development

Guardsman Pass is an environmentally sensitive area that sits in Wasatch County, although
the primary access, S.R. 224, is provided through Park City. Historic development in the area
has been seasonal cabins. Current development pressures are likely to continue and create
numerous transportation and land use challenges for all jurisdictions.

NEXT STEPS:
• UDOT, Park City, Summit, Wasatch, and Salt Lake Counties need to work together cooperatively
to effectively address access and service challenges in the area.

Transit Connecting communities and extending service Mayflower Interchange Monitoring traffic in a resort and recreation area How Vision
Becomes Reality
How a Project is Developed
Transportation projects often cost tens of millions of
dollars or more and take years of financial planning,
civil engineering, and community outreach. Implementing
the Wasatch Back Emerging Area Plan will take
several steps:

1. NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND PROJECT PRIORITIES:

Almost without exception, participants in the Wasatch Back Emerging Area
Plan expressed their desire to have transit service in more areas, including the
Francis/Kamas/Oakley area and the Heber City area. In addition to providing
service throughout the study area, there was strong sentiment to connect the
Wasatch Back to both Salt Lake and Utah Counties with transit to serve the
commuter base between these areas.
Park City and Summit County have a successful transit system that serves many
locations within Park City and destinations in the Snyderville Basin area of
Summit County. Success of this transit system can be the foundation of a
successful area-wide system.
NEXT STEPS:
• Summit County, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), and Park City should continue
working together to identify potential opportunities for connecting Salt Lake County
and Summit County via Parley’s Canyon.
• Wasatch RPO should begin conversations with UTA regarding potential opportunities
for connecting Utah County and Wasatch County via Provo Canyon.
• Park City and Summit County officials, in their upcoming transportation plan and
short-range transit planning efforts, should consider potential opportunities and
benefits of extending service to other areas in the region depending on the availability
and viability of funding.
• Each local jurisdiction should begin considering how future transit service might
support existing or planned land uses and, where appropriate, incorporate these
Heber Bypass Area Keeping trucks and business moving forward
concepts into their land use and transportation planning processes. Examples include
transit stops, park-and-ride facilities, and bus pull-outs.
The Mayflower Interchange on U.S. 40 is currently the main access to the
Deer Crest side of Deer Valley Resort as well as the Stillwater Lodge and
other residential and recreational developments around Jordanelle Reservoir.
The interchange also provides access to many acres of land that are currently
included in Wasatch County’s “Resort Specially Planned Area.” There are
many different resort and recreation-based land uses in various stages of
planning in this area with the Mayflower Interchange providing the most direct
connection to the regional transportation network.
NEXT STEPS:
• Future developments in the vicinity of the Mayflower Interchange should perform
Traffic Impact Studies that quantify their impact on this interchange and outline
strategies to deal with these impacts.
• Wasatch RPO and UDOT should identify traffic volume “thresholds” that determine at
what level various interchange and crossing improvements should be implemented.
These should work in concert with the Traffic Impact Studies recommended above.
UDOT Regions, local governments, Mountainland Association
of Governments, Wasatch RPO, transit agencies and the
public, will need to identify the projects necessary to
accomplish the Regional Transportation Vision. This is the
needs assessment—the cornerstone of the UDOT project
development process.
2. LONG-RANGE PLAN: UDOT will sort the large-scale
needs into categories of maintenance and preservation,
spot safety improvements, and mobility projects. UDOT
planners will evaluate project benefits and costs to
develop a list of future projects. This list of statewide
projects is prioritized and is presented as part of UDOT’s
Long Range Transportation Plan (LRP), which is updated
every four years. UDOT’s LRP is financially constrained
and funding considerations begin to take an important
role. The next update is expected in 2011.
3. STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM (STIP): Projects deemed most critical by the
Planning Partners
Utah Transportation Commission are moved from the
Long Range Transportation Plan to the STIP, a five-year
program of projects selected for implementation.
Projects in the STIP are aligned with funding resources
and prioritized. UDOT performs annual updates. Once
a state highway project moves to the STIP, it will likely be
Wasatch Back Emerging Area Partners
constructed. The STIP must identify specific funding for The following stakeholders participated in this emerging area planning process. In the future,
each project. local governments, associated agencies, key businesses, and UDOT will continue to plan for the
transportation needs of the region.

IDENTIFY TRANSPORTATION NEEDS UTAH DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

www.udot.utah.gov

LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN UDOT REGION TWO UDOT REGION THREE UDOT PLANNING
Prioritized Needs and Revenue Assumptions
801-975-4900 801-227-8000 801-965-4129
Midway to Provo Canyon S.R. 113 Addressing safety and access challenges 2010 South 2760 West 658 North 1500 West 4501 South 2700 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84104 Orem, UT 84057 Salt Lake City, UT 84114
STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Identify Funding Resources,
Environmental Reviews, Project Design

As a concept, the Heber Bypass has been discussed by local jurisdictions for SUMMIT COUNTY HEBER CITY OAKLEY CITY
a long time as traffic volumes, especially truck traffic, on Heber’s Main Street CONSTRUCTION 435-336-3978 435-654-4830 435-783-5734
grow to unacceptable levels. Recently, Heber City and Wasatch County have www.co.summit.ut.us www.ci.heber.ut.us www.oakleycity.com
agreed on an alignment for the road although much work still remains in order MAINTENANCE
WASATCH COUNTY HIDEOUT PARK CITY
for this facility to come to fruition.
435-657-3205 435-655-5289 435-615-5000
NEXT STEPS: www.co.wasatch.ut.us www.hideoututah.gov www.parkcity.org
• Heber City and Wasatch County, in consultation with UDOT Region Three, need to begin
to investigate funding sources and prepare for an environmental study of alternatives. CHARLESTON TOWN INDEPENDENCE MOUNTAINLAND ASSOCIATION
S.R. 113 provides direct access from Midway to Deer Creek Reservoir and 435-654-7177 435-654-2712 OF GOVERNMENTS
Provo Canyon. When U.S. 40 in Heber is congested, this road, along with River • Wasatch County and Heber City, again in consultation with UDOT Region Three, also www.charlestonutah.org www.independenceutah.org 801-229-3800
need to carefully consider and agree upon the specific nature of this roadway, including
Road, becomes an alternate route for people heading south into Utah County. www.mountainland.org
its functional classification (principal arterial or minor arterial), the location and nature
As the area grows in both population and employment, traffic volumes will TOWN OF DANIEL KAMAS CITY
of intersections (signalized or grade separated), if and what kind of development will be
increase. S.R. 113 has existing safety concerns with many residential driveways 435-654-5062 435-783-4630 WASATCH RURAL
allowed in the corridor, and road cross-sections.
providing direct access from it. In addition, shoulders are narrow or non-existent. danielutah.squarespace.com www.kamascity.net PLANNING ORGANIZATION
• UDOT Region Three should conduct a study of the Hub intersection (the junction of 801-229-3837
NEXT STEPS: U.S. 40 and U.S. 189) in Heber that looks at both short-term issues related to adjacent TOWN OF FRANCIS MIDWAY www.mountainland.org
• Charleston, Midway, Wasatch County, and UDOT Region Three should work together development and long-term impacts of the bypass and other planned improvements. 435-783-6236 435-654-3227
to develop an access agreement for the corridor that provides standards for new www.francisutah.org www.midwaycityut.org
accesses, spacing, and possible future intersections.
 WASATCH BACK REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION VISION

SOURCE: Municipal Boundaries (2007), and Streets (2008) from Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) May 2010

Functional Classification of Roads Wasatch Back Regional Transportation Vision

The functional classification of roads is a way to organize streets and highways based on their general attributes and purposes. Each type of road can be The Regional Transportation Vision represents a future transportation network that supports expected
distinguished by characteristics such as the types of traffic the road serves, speeds, traffic volumes, and access. Local governments consider UDOT’s recommended population and employment growth in a multi-modal way. The following description is written as one might
classification as they establish the functional classification of their local streets. The chart also rates how well each mode is accommodated on each type of facility. experience the Wasatch Back in 30 years once the vision has been realized.

Freeway
• High-traffic speeds with minimal travel
delays
• Most direct route for long distance trips
• Limited opportunities to get on and off
the road
Principal Arterial
• Direct, moderate- to high-speed service
• Ideal for trips within the region and higher
traffic volumes
• Access is strictly managed with priority
given to mobility
Minor Arterial
• Provides moderate-speed service
• Serves inter-regional trips and moderate
traffic volumes
• Provides more access than a
principal arterial
The Wasatch Back is a prime recreational destination as travelers to move around efficiently within specific
well as a very popular place to live and work. A regional areas using a network of alternatives and a variety of
Collector Street Local Street
transportation network that provides a variety of mode travel modes allowing access to mountainous areas
choices helps fulfill travel demand in an efficient and without pressure to overbuild these roads.
cost-effective way.
Lastly, an expansive trails network connects areas
Transit service connects major destinations and within the region and helps expand the range of mode
various areas within the region. In addition to providing choices. Bicycling and walking are viable alternatives
connections to both Utah and Salt Lake Counties, the not only within cities, but also between them.
area benefits from inter-regional transit links. The Connecting regional trails such as the Rail Trail in
Kamas Valley, Midway, Park City, and Heber are all Park City and Summit County and planned facilities
• Moderate to low travel speeds and short • Slower speeds connected by transit service in addition to more local in Wasatch County make the area an attractive
distances destinations such as the Utah Valley University campus, choice for those who would choose to be less reliant
• Many residential accesses
• Connection between arterial and
• Serving mainly residential neighborhoods Independence’s town center, park-and-ride lots and on an automobile.
local roads
ski resorts.
• Easy access serving primarily
intra-county travel The road network is a mix of various types of facilities,
some that prioritize access and others that are
weighted towards moving more vehicles at higher
speeds. U.S. 40 is a major north/south route through
the area and connects I-80 to Heber, the Uintah Basin,
and Colorado. S.R. 224 and S.R. 248 also provide key
connections for Park City to I-80 and U.S. 40. Minor
arterial routes connect destinations such as Midway
to U.S. 189 and the Kamas Valley to both U.S. 40 and
I-80. Finally, a broad collection of collector roads allows