The Park City Council signaled support Thursday for a long-contemplated pedestrian tunnel at the intersection of Kearns Boulevard and Snow Creek Drive.
The project, expected to cost over $16 million, will require coordination with nearby property owners and the Utah Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over Kearns Boulevard, also known as state Route 248.
Park City Mayor Nann Worel said a tunnel would provide a safer alternative for pedestrians, who sometimes jaywalk in the area.
“We’ve been studying this for a long time and it’s very dangerous there,” Worel said. “There’s a lot of people that kind of frog across the street.”
In the short-term, the council said it would like UDOT to install a high-intensity activated crosswalk, or HAWK, like the one on Park Avenue in front of Fresh Market.
Park City Engineer John Robertson said the HAWK can be optimized to time with nearby traffic lights.
“During peak times, we could see some greater backing up and congestion on [state Route] 248 because every time the button is pushed, it stops all vehicle movements as pedestrians cross,” Robertson said.
However, Park City Capital Projects Manager Steven Dennis said the tunnel project could compromise the short-term plan for the HAWK.
“If we ink this deal with UDOT to bring the tunnel forward in the near term, I think it’s unlikely that they’re going to choose to advance the HAWK,” Dennis said.
The tunnel will be contingent upon working with Singerman Real Estate, which owns the DoubleTree hotel, also referred to as The Yarrow.
The Park City Council delayed moving forward with the tunnel last year because of Singerman Real Estate’s pending application to demolish the hotel and build a modern mixed-use development with a condos, affordable housing, retail stores and office space.
Those developers have expressed a willingness to work with the city on the tunnel. But their proposal hit a snag last year when a majority of city planners didn’t support height exceptions for the development.
The DoubleTree hotel project will now return to the planning commission March 26.
If the city doesn’t advance the tunnel project, it could risk losing roughly $4 million in grant funding.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.
