Imagine hopping on a bike on Main Street in Park City and riding on a trail system that meanders through Parleys Canyon to a destination in Salt Lake City. This is the vision that Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox laid out last week. His plan would connect people from Bear Lake to St. George by a trail system.
Cox and Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Carlos Braceras announced the project on Friday. While it’s short on details and a budget, it was music to the ears of Summit County Community Development director Pat Putt.
He said the announcement from Cox is consistent with what Summit County is already doing with rail trail master planning.
“We have the same possibilities here, knowing that the state now may be a strategic partner in beginning to do that planning and seeing that beginning to get constructed," Putt said. "We can't be more enthusiastic. I mean, I guess back to my initial comment, is right on let's do it.”
Putt said Park City used to connected to Salt Lake City by railroad and that the old grades still exist, which could be helpful to execute the state’s trails plan.
“When they built Interstate 80 it took a lot of the Lincoln Highway away, but when you look at what some of those existing historic grade platforms that exist in parleys Canyon, that's certainly a potential there," Putt said. "When you look at the broader Summit County area, like you know, the, the Union Pacific rail trail that runs all the way to Echo, once you get to Echo, there's existing connections up through Morgan County and through Henefer.”
Cox said the trails need to be accessible to all communities regardless of income level and physical abilities. He also said financing would likely be one of the most significant hurdles for the project moving forward.