High Valley Transit, Summit County’s transportation agency, is moving forward with a multimillion dollar project to expand state Route 224 by 10 feet to create new shoulder lanes exclusively for public transit.
High Valley Transit Chief Development Officer Gabe Shields previously said the new lanes will allow buses to travel between Kimball Junction and Old Town, Park City in a little over 15 minutes.
The Park City Council got an update on the project in late February, when a majority of council members expressed opposition to High Valley’s plan to widen lanes within city limits, which start at the McPolin Barn.
S.R. 224 traffic data does show that the most significant congestion occurs between Canyons Village and Kimball Junction, outside of Park City.
High Valley Transit did not participate in the meeting with Park City leaders, but after their discussion, Summit County Council Vice Chair Canice Harte spoke optimistically about finalizing a plan that works for all parties.
High Valley Transit Executive Director Caroline Rodriquez published a guest column in The Park Record on March 12 about the bus rapid transit project and referenced the council’s concerns.
“Some have proposed shortening the dedicated lanes from five miles to less than three, but BRT on S.R. 224 was designed by Park City and Summit County engineers to optimize efficiency,” Rodriquez wrote. “Like many complex systems, undermining key elements of the plan would compromise its effectiveness.
“We understand concerns about widening S.R. 224. However, our design team has developed a solution that adds only 10 feet (the length of a surfboard) to the existing 75-foot corridor — remaining within the UDOT right of way while fully restoring landscaped medians and bike-pedestrian trails where needed.”
She declined to be interviewed for this story.
Several Park City Council members commented on the column Thursday.
Councilmember Bill Ciraco said his jaw dropped when he first read it.
“I couldn’t understand how that could get printed when we just had the meeting that we had, where we all seemed to be aligned,” Ciraco said. “It was particularly disheartening, and I’m hoping that the issue can be resolved. I’m hoping that we can move forward.”
Councilmember Jeremy Rubell said he was also caught off-guard.
“It finally felt like the concerns we’ve been raising for years had been heard and acknowledged, and that we had committed as a partnership to work towards solutions that consider those concerns," Rubell said. "Reading High Valley Transit’s response in the newspaper, essentially to that discussion, was a complete 180."
Rubell said it’s led him to question the nature of Park City’s relationship with High Valley Transit.
“Do they truly want to collaborate with us on a successful project? Or are we being told, like we have been for all those meetings previous to this last one, ‘it’s our way or the highway’? No pun intended,” he said.
Park City Mayor Nann Worel said the issues will be discussed Tuesday, when city council members meet with Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) about the project, alongside representatives from Summit County and High Valley.
“There’s concern about losing federal funding if we alter the scope of the project,” Worel said. “So I’ve asked that we go down with the county and talk with UDOT and hear directly from them - how much wiggle room do we have to alter the project?”
High Valley Transit has secured $66 million in grant funding for the bus rapid transit project, which is expected to cost around $90 million. Park City is expected to allocate some money for the project, however it’s unclear how much.
