Park City and Rocky Mountain Power will begin work to underground high-voltage transmission lines April 7.
“Essentially, what we're doing is installing large conduits in the roadway that will eventually carry all the high wire transmission power lines that we have going over the city,” Park City Municipal engineer John Robertson said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Friday.
He said the city eventually wants to remove the power lines running along Boot Hill and adjacent to the Park City Cemetery. They are also above the Bonanza Park 5-acre parcel where a mixed-use development is in the works.
Robertson said it takes more work to underground the larger conduits because they require larger trenches. But the work will add space for cemetery plots, reduce wildfire risk, and remove a 60-foot aerial restriction that has limited redevelopment options on Bonanza.
The project will impact traffic on SR-248, or Kearns Boulevard.
“We have to eventually get this over to the substation that's just behind Woodbine,” he said. “So we have to get into the roadway. 248 is going to be the most heavily impacted by that work.”
Robertson said eastbound lanes on the main roadway will be down to one lane from April 7 to 12. Those heading west must use a detour at the Bonanza Drive intersection.
From April 13 to 17, the closure flips. Only one westbound lane will be open and eastbound traffic will be diverted at the Park Avenue and Kearns Blvd. intersection. This closure lines up with Park City School District’s spring break to reduce traffic impacts.
April 20 to May 15, Kearns Blvd. will have one lane each direction from 7 a.m.- 4 p.m. The road will then be repaved and excavation will move to Woodbine Way.
But construction will continue on SR-248. Once the transmission line project moves on, High Valley Transit will begin work to install bus rapid transit, or BRT, lanes. The BRT project has already begun on state Route 224.
“They're going to come in right after we finish our park to start working there, and then they'll finish their project in that area for this summer,” Robertson said.
The Utah Department of Transportation will also work on a maintenance project over the summer from Kearns to Park Avenue. Robertson said it involves grinding the road and putting down a new layer of asphalt to fix surface damage.
He said those projects will also require lane closures throughout the summer. Some work will also be done at night to limit traffic impacts.
