Transportation Improvements for City Center

Transportation has been an important issue in Eagle Mountain since the city was incorporated in 1996. I recently provided an update for residents regarding upcoming transportation infrastructure improvements. The City now can provide details of planned transportation improvements for City Center related to the imminent increase of traffic we are expecting with the new high school that will open for the 2019 school year. Transportation infrastructure in City Center has remained much the same for many years. This is owing to the fact that City Center roads are used almost exclusively by City Center residents with the exception of event specific traffic during sporting or special events and traffic associated with people coming or going to City Hall. In contrast to The Ranches, the demands on City Center roads are significantly lower by traffic count. With the construction of the new high school, this will obviously change overnight. Event traffic for the high school must also be accounted for. Alpine School District has conducted a traffic study in order to establish a baseline for looking at the traffic needs. While traffic studies are not the end-all, be-all in preparing for an increase in traffic, they are a critical component for intelligent spending decisions. Based on the expected increases in traffic, the following projects have been identified as necessary to ensure effective traffic management and traffic flow. Pony Express Widening Description: This project will widen Pony Express from three lanes to five lanes to include an additional left turn lane for Pony Express Pkwy and Hidden Valley Pkwy. The widening will be from Sandpiper Rd. to Red Pine Rd. A signal will likely be included at the Hidden Valley Parkway and Pony Express Parkway intersection and a four-way stop will likely be included at Lone Tree Parkway to allow residents safe passage to turn left onto Pony Express Parkway. Timeline: Survey/Design August – 2017, Construction Bid – May 2018, Completion – August 2018 Estimated Cost: $ 2,800,000 -$3,050,000 Needs Addressed: This project removes conflicts from turn movements onto Hidden Valley Parkway for those heading to and from Hidden Hollow Elementary School. The project will allow free flow of traffic for two full lanes through this area before condensing back down to two lanes as Pony Express Pkwy continues past the Lone Tree and Oquirrh Mountain subdivisions. Pony Express & Mid Valley Intersection Improvements Description: This project will lengthen the right turn and left turn pockets from Pony Express to Mid Valley Road. The intersection will continue to be controlled by a three-way stop for all movements. Timeline: Survey/Design August – 2017, Construction Bid – May 2018, Completion – August 2018 Estimated Cost: $ 150,000 Needs Addressed: The improvements provide additional stacking distance for vehicles turning onto Mid Valley Road, allowing north and south bound flow to continue without impairment. Sage Park Continuation Description: This project will build the road that the new high school will be built on. The road will continue from Pony Express Parkway west to connect to Eagle Mountain Blvd. The project will be built to accommodate high school traffic needs and will be planned for future expansion as a minor collector for future development in the area. Timeline: Right-of-Way Acquisition – April 2019, Survey/Design April – 2019, Construction Bid – May 2019, Completion – August 2019 Estimated Cost: $ 1,000,000 Needs Addressed: This provides two points of ingress/egress from the high school, onto Pony Express Parkway and Eagle Mountain Blvd. This will serve as more direct access to Wride Hwy (SR-73) and will serve to alleviate traffic from areas of City Center south of the high school. As the timeline for these projects grows nearer and/or if there are any changes we will continue to provide updates for residents.