The biggest change is that the temporary stop lights at Silver Summit’s exit 2, on the Highland Estates side, will become a roundabout.
Summit County Project Engineer Mike Kendell hopes to break ground by the end of the month. After a meeting May 14, the contractor will seek permits from the Utah Department of Transportation.
Traffic has been backing up from the southbound exit 2 onto U.S. 40, sometimes as far back as Interstate 80. Last year, Summit County installed the stop lights to relieve congestion in the short term.
County Transportation Planner Brandon Brady said the county's contractor will propose a detour route.
Installing a roundabout is part of a slew of improvements planned for the area long-term, including overpass improvements, Kendell said.
“We will also be putting in a pedestrian tunnel in preparation for a future trail that ties in over onto the Home Depot side,” he said on “Local News Hour.”
And in the next three to five years, the county will expand the roundabout on the east side, too. Kendell thinks it will be similar in size to Jeremy Ranch’s roundabout.
This year, the goal is to finish the western roundabout by Sept. 15, conditions, costs and other factors permitting.
Farther down the road, Kendell said they’re moving the intersection of the Old Highway 40 frontage road and state Route 248 a few hundred feet east.
“There's not a lot of room to merge left into that turn lane, so this project is moving that interchange location about 300 feet to the east,” he said. “That will help with providing queue length and improve the safety by allowing cars more time to make that turn.”
He also said it should give drivers turning from Old Highway 40 onto state Route 248 better lines of sight. The primary reason is safety, but it may also benefit circulation.
He doesn’t have an estimated date that project will begin because UDOT recently changed the relevant permitting process. But the goal is still to finish it by the fall.
