On Friday, August 15, the Salt Lake Tribune published an article entitled, “County Investing $800K in bike safety projects.” The article discussed Salt Lake County’s efforts to make the valley more bike-friendly and safe for bike commuters, as well as the health and environmental benefits of biking for the always-smoggy greater Salt Lake area.
The article states:
“Sixteen projects in eight cities and unincorporated areas will receive $814,500 this year from Salt Lake County to make commuter bicycle routes safer. In addition, the county will spend $300,000 on a bike transportation master plan to coordinate efforts between cities and unincorporated parcels.”
The article reported that more Salt Lake County residents commute to work via bicycle than the national average, and that community members continue to advocate for safer bike travel.
The article quoted Sandy’s Mayor, Tom Dolan, as saying:
“Our ‘Mountain Meets Urban’ city is ideal for active transportation. This grant funds two projects that get us closer to a goal residents resoundingly request.”
To make these two projects possible, Salt Lake County will spend more than $1 million in total on a resolution to make cyclists feel more stable on the road.
The cities and areas receiving grant money are as follows:
- Sandy, $152,000, for routes along 11400 South from State Street to 1700 East and on 700 East between 7800 South and 9400 South.
- West Jordan, $47,000, for routes on 2700 West, 4000 West, and 4800 West.
- South Salt Lake, $135,000, for routes on 2700 South from 500 East to 300 West and the Parley’s Trail crossing at 300 West.
- South Jordan, $120,000, for routes on 11400 South between Bangerter Hwy. and Oquirrh Lake Road and 9800 South from Redwood Road to Jordan Gateway.
- Salt Lake City, $145,000, for routes on 300 South from 300 West to 600 East, as well as for Sunnyside Avenues from 1300 East to Foothill Blvd.
- Murray, $55,000, for routes on Vine Street from Cottonwood Street to 900 East.
- Holladay, $80,000, for three different routes in the city.
- Bluffdale, $25,000, for routes on 2700 West from Bangerter Hwy. to 14400 South.
As Salt Lake County continues to make the shift toward better bike access for its residents, it is the hope of officials that more people will “want to trade four wheels for two.”
The article did not specifically discuss when construction for the bike projects will begin, stating only that the cities and unincorporated areas would receive money “this year.”
Photo Courtesy of Cesar and Creative Commons