In July, Park City launched a study to evaluate potential public transit solutions on S.R. 248. City staff and consultants cast a wide net, considering options such as a gondola and underground tunnel.
On Friday the city council narrowed the options to four concepts: reversible flex lanes, dedicated bus lanes, light rail and automated gateway transit similar to a monorail.
Staff and consultants will now begin a more technical review in which each alternative undergoes a feasibility analysis and preliminary design to determine if it can work for S.R. 248.
Councilmember Bill Ciraco said he’d like to see if the light rail concept can work along the Rail Trail instead of the state highway. Ciraco said garnering public opinion about each of the alternatives will be crucial.
“We will hear from people that we typically always hear from, but we need to hear from the mass majority of people that we don’t usually hear from,” Ciraco said.
Councilmember Tana Toly said it’s important to work with the Park City School District. She says school traffic plays a role in creating vehicle congestion on S.R. 248.
At this stage in the process, it’s unclear what each of the alternatives will cost.
Park City Senior Transportation Planner Conor Campobosso said the 2034 Winter Olympics could help attract grant funding.
“Having the Olympics coming to your area does really boost the narrative that you can pitch to the federal government to receive additional transit funds and a variety of other different funding sources,” Campobasso said.
The council will get another update on the study next year. The goal is to finish the study by 2026, when an environmental analysis on the chosen alternative can begin.
