Transportation Improvements Update

With the tremendous growth of Eagle Mountain over the past year, transportation improvements are an important area of focus for the City. Last month the City acquired land from the State Institutional Trust Lands Administration in the Mid-Valley area (between City Center and The Ranches), which allows the City to control planning for that section of Pony Express Parkway. The City is currently looking into options to fund a widening project that will provide better flow and access through the area with the new high school opening in 2019 and residential development increasing. We will provide updates as we have new information. Other projects already in process this year for widening Pony Express Parkway include a partnership with UDOT and Saratoga Springs to widen the road from Porter’s Crossing to Redwood Rd. Another in the design phase is for the area of Hidden Hollow Elementary to Unity Pass, and another in the design phase is at Mid-Valley Rd. (Frontier Middle School intersection). A road connecting Pony Express Parkway to Eagle Mountain Blvd. is planned at the new high school site, which should help with the flow of school traffic. This is expected to be completed by the time the school is open. Traffic lights are a growing concern. We have been in contact with Saratoga Springs regarding the turn signal at Foothill Blvd. The lack of a turn signal has caused traffic to back up and block eastbound traffic all the way to Porter’s Crossing. Saratoga Springs has informed us that they have initiated the process for installing a turn signal. It is expected to be installed no later than four to six weeks from now. Around the same time-frame a turn signal is expected to be installed at Porter’s Crossing. The reduced flow of traffic has made an already difficult turn out of SilverLake even more bothersome. We have already made plans to install a traffic light at SilverLake during the widening process this summer. Finally, UDOT is conducting a State Environmental Study (SES) along Cory Wride Memorial Highway (S.R. 73) from Pioneer Crossing to Eagle Mountain Blvd. The SES will further evaluate the natural and built environment, and determine a preferred alignment for the future frontage road freeway system. They have established a Facebook page. This page is for informal discussion. To submit a formal comment, please email sr73@utah.gov or go to udot.utah.gov/sr73 to fill out a comment form. More information about the project can also be found on that webpage. Again, we will provide updates as we have more details about these projects but wanted residents to know transportation concerns are being addressed as the city continues to grow. Mayor Tom Westmoreland