Around 100 Summit County residents learned more about High Valley Transit’s bus rapid transit project — or BRT — while munching on tacos and cookies at an open house Tuesday. The project is meant to help buses bypass traffic and make public transportation a more convenient option.
The multiyear effort to widen Route 224 to make room for dedicated buses is entering its next phase. Construction crews are restriping the road and removing medians on a roughly 2-mile stretch between McPolin Barn and Holiday Ranch Loop Road.
Many at the open house were concerned about traffic impacts during construction, including 12-year Old Ranch Road resident Laura Zink.
“I'm kind of dreading it, but I'm not one to complain, so I know I'll just have to suck it up and deal with it for the next couple of years and hopefully work around when the roads aren't busy,” she said.
However, Zink said the route will be worth it in the long run.
Pinebrook resident Lisa Baird shared a similar sentiment. She’s a High Valley veteran who has taken the 107 bus to the University of Utah nearly every day for 14 years. Baird said the BRT lanes are another step forward.
“The 107 is an express bus, and the reason it works so well is because it's an express,” she said. “I view this as kind of a similar thing in a different way, where it's going to be able to just motor unimpeded by stops or traffic, and that's what gets people on buses: frequency of service and efficiency.”
Long-time Trailside resident Ted Bird is also an avid public transit user who is excited for the BRT lanes. However, he’s concerned cars will use the bus lane and limit its success. Bird said he’s seen this happen since buses began using the shoulder on 224.
But High Valley engineer Gabriel Shields said a dedicated lane will make the route more reliable.
“The fundamental question is when do you need these lanes the most? The wintertime. And what's in the shoulder? That's where we park the snow,” he said.
Having a dedicated lane and shoulder also provides space for cars that break down or have other emergencies.
Shields said the team will limit traffic impacts throughout the summer. He said two travel lanes will be open in both directions, as usual, most of the time. If that changes, locals and travelers will be notified.
The roughly $110 million project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2028. High Valley has named the new route the “Bob,” short for Bobsled Express. It will replace the 10X express line.
High Valley Transit is a financial supporter of KPCW.
