Park City prepares major roadwork along S.R. The summer traffic will be worsened by S.R.

 
  
   
    S.R. The S.R. Park City plans to do major roadwork this summer on the state highway between the intersections of Bonanza Drive, and U.S. 40.
    
    David Jackson/Park Record
   
  
 


 City Hall is planning to repave an extremely busy section of state highway this summer. This project will likely worsen traffic problems on a road that already has terrible backups.


 As part of the work, the stretch of S.R. As part of this work, the stretch of S.R. According to the municipal government, adjustments to the striping will also be planned. This would involve a slightly narrowing of through lanes on the eastbound and western sides of the road at the intersections of Bonanza Drive & Wyatt Earp Way. City Hall stated that the narrowing was designed to reduce speed and provide space for bicyclists and buses.


 The project
The S.R. 248 entryway is heavily used by people who live in parts of the Snyderville Basin, the East Side of Summit County and Wasatch County. Park City is planning major roadwork on the state highway this summer between the intersections with Bonanza Drive and U.S. 40.
David Jackson/Park Record

City Hall is preparing to repave a heavily traveled section of state highway during the summer, a project that will likely worsen the traffic headaches on a section of road that already suffers terrible backups.

The stretch of S.R. 248 between the intersections with Bonanza Drive and U.S. 40 will be milled and then new asphalt put down as part of the work. Adjustments to the striping are also planned and would involve a slight narrowing of the through lanes of the eastbound and westbound sides of the road between the intersections with Bonanza Drive and Wyatt Earp Way, according to the municipal government. The narrowing would be designed to reduce speeds and provide space for buses and bicyclists, City Hall said.

The project, meanwhile, “contemplates converting soft shoulders to pavement where current shoulders are substandard,” the municipal government said in a prepared statement in response to a Park Record inquiry about the project. Those sections of the road are on the south side of S.R. 248 and, generally, between the Wyatt Earp Way and Cooke Drive intersections, the statement indicated.



“If the full shoulder conversion project is chosen, it would result in a consistent shoulder from Bonanza Drive to Richardson Flat Road – allowing for eastbound transit vehicles to bypass traffic congestion at peak times,” City Hall said.           

The bidding period was scheduled to close Tuesday afternoon. Officials anticipate presenting a contract to Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council for a possible approval on June 1. City Hall did not disclose an estimated cost. The work would launch later that month or in early July if the elected officials choose to proceed, with a completion date expected in the middle of September.



The municipal government said the crews would be required to keep one lane of traffic in both directions open.

“Before any construction takes place, the city will conduct robust neighborhood outreach. This would include information on a separate, and simultaneous, project which will install new landscaping along the corridor for beautification and noise reduction purposes,” the statement said.

Officials anticipate presenting a contract for S.R. 248 work to Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council for a possible approval on June 1. The work could start several weeks afterward should it be approved.
David Jackson/Park Record

S.R. 248, signed Kearns Boulevard inside Park City, is one of the two community entryways and is regularly used by drivers in Prospector, parts of the Snyderville Basin, the East Side of Summit County and Wasatch County.

The backups can be awful, particularly during the ski season as skiers, commuters and drivers headed to or from the Park City School District campus converge on the road in the morning and afternoon. Backups regularly stretch between Quinn’s Junction and Prospector.

The road is part of the state highway system and is under the control of the Utah Department of Transportation. The project will be designed to meet the standards of the state. Park City, though, is funding and managing the work.

The upcoming project will likely draw the attention of businesses along S.R. 248 or just off the road. There are numerous businesses in Prospector that could see the work as potentially disruptive since S.R. 248 is such an important artery for that commercial district.