Sinking state Route 224, called alternative B, was one of three options to fix Kimball Junction. Now UDOT will focus on remaining alternatives A and C.
UDOT's Kimball Junction project manager, Becky Stromness, said after in-depth traffic analysis, applying engineering standards and more, alternative B became a sea of concrete.
“It just ends up essentially doubling the width [of state Route 224],” she told council March 6. “It’s a very large footprint.”
That footprint would impact wetlands and relocate three private businesses. It’s also the most expensive option at around $160 million.
Councilmember Tonja Hanson told KPCW the funding for Kimball Junction could come from a variety of places including grants, the federal government, the state or county.
County staff have previously drafted an idea for how to revise what’s known as “alternative B.”
“So we're just awaiting further information from them with some of the details of what that alternative hopes to accomplish, what the layout looks like,” Stromness said. “Once we get that, we're happy to look at that. We'll run it through the same criteria as all the other alternatives, and we'll just see how it performs.”
Now is the time for county officials and the public to weigh in, until March 27. UDOT is accepting public comment online, via email, voicemail, post and text message.
County Transportation Planning Director Carl Miller said staff will submit their “alternative B+” this month too.
UDOT is screening the other two alternatives in the meantime.
The roughly $90 million alternative A is seen as the best for pedestrians, but not for cars. It does add an extra exit to Interstate 80 that would get traffic directly to Rasmussen Road and Landmark Drive without passing through the junction.
Alternative C, the cheapest option at around $35 million, would be best for queuing on I-80, where cars back up from the exit onto the highway.
Councilmembers have expressed interest in combining elements of both.
UDOT hopes to choose one of the alternatives by the end of 2024. That’s when the organization would look for funding before putting the project on its six-year to-do list.
Addressing Kimball Junction traffic has come to the forefront amid the county’s negotiations with developer Dakota Pacific Real Estate. Dakota Pacific would like to add housing to its land in western Kimball Junction, which is only entitled for tech offices right now.
The developer has told the council it could phase in development alongside UDOT’s improvements.
The likely 2034 Winter Olympic Games also elevate the need to find a traffic solution.
