Since 2007, the Park City Council has talked about adding a pedestrian tunnel under state Route 248, or Kearns Boulevard, near Snow Creek Drive.
The tunnel would provide a crucial connection to Park City’s pedestrian and bike networks. At a council meeting July 9, Park City Senior Project Manager Dawn Wagner said it would also improve safety. Pedestrians often try to cross Kearns to get to Snow Creek Plaza.
“The key with a tunnel or below grade is that you're reducing that conflict,” she said. “You're allowing traffic to continue, and [it’s] much safer all around, for both vehicles and pedestrians.”
Staff gave the council five options; four featured an underground tunnel with varying levels of enhancements and angles.
A high-intensity activated crosswalk, or HAWK, was another option. However, City Engineer John Robertson said tunnels are safer than crosswalks. He was especially concerned as there have been three fatalities in the area, one at the HAWK crossing on Park Avenue.
The council was hesitant to move forward because of the cost. Councilmember Tana Toly said other areas in town might be better suited for pedestrian and bike improvements.
“The cost has always seemed super astronomical to me, and I feel like there are other locations in this community that really actually need us to look at the pedestrian-to-car ratio higher than this one,” she said.
A perpendicular tunnel design would cost around $16.5 million, while a diagonal tunnel would cost over $17.6 million.
The city has about $11.5 million to spend on the project, which leaves a deficit for a tunnel. Funding sources include over $4 million from a 2007 walkability bond, $3.5 million in grants from the Utah Department of Transportation and about $2.5 million from the city’s transit fund.
The HAWK’s price tag is over $4 million, although previously the cost was about $750,000.
City project manager Steven Dennis said the HAWK has become increasingly expensive because it would require the city to buy private property.
“The big signal mast arms associated with a HAWK need to be set back outside the clear zone,” he said. “You just can't get it far enough back without going and acquiring property from the adjacent property owners.”
The council has directed city staff to instead ask when UDOT will put up a long-discussed stoplight on Kearns at nearby Homestake Road. There’s no known date set for construction.
If a light will be installed within the next three to five years, the council said it probably won’t move forward with improvements on Snow Creek. If it takes longer, councilmembers will decide whether to install a HAWK or tunnel on Snow Creek.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW.
