Two liaisons from the Park City Council, Jeremy Rubell and Bill Ciraco, recently met with Utah Department of Transportation officials to express concerns about its level of involvement in High Valley Transit’s bus rapid transit project. Rubell said the state agency is now eager to take a greater role.
“The good news is that UDOT was enthusiastic about the opportunity to be more involved and work together on the project,” Rubell said. “And that’s, in my opinion, speaking to you as a liaison who was in that meeting, a very good thing for the Park City community.”
Rubell said UDOT officials are open to listening to the city’s concerns.
“They’re also open to rightsizing the project,” he said. “They spoke about the need to have the project be context-sensitive to our rural environment.”
In a statement to KPCW, High Valley Transit Executive Director Caroline Rodriquez said: “UDOT has been deeply involved in this project since its inception and we’re pleased that they will continue to provide their support and expertise.”
Ciraco said the city’s goal isn’t to stop High Valley Transit.
“This was never about derailing the project,” Ciraco said. “It was about doing the right thing for Park City, and I feel like we’ve come to a really good place on that.”
He said increased collaboration with UDOT could also help as the city looks to identify a transit solution for state Route 248.
Park City councilmembers previously expressed concerns about the plan for state Route 224, which is owned and managed by the state.
It involves widening state Route 224 by about 10 feet to add dedicated bus lanes on each side of the road that connects Park City proper with Kimball Junction.
Councilmembers have said the road widening could harm the quality of life for residents and pose a serious risk for wildlife, which have repeatedly been injured and killed in crashes on state Route 224.
They have suggested the road widening should not include areas within city limits, which begin at the McPolin Barn.
Existing traffic data shows that the most significant congestion on state Route 224 occurs between Canyons Village and Kimball Junction, outside of Park City.
High Valley Transit previously said it has plans to begin staging work for the bus rapid transit project this fall. The goal is to complete most of the construction by the end of 2027.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW.
