UDOT narrows Kimball Junction options to two; public comment open on screening report

Becky Strongness, UDOT project manager for the Kimball Junction environmental impact statement, told the Summit County Council that alternatives A and C will advance for further study while alternative B is being dropped after failing pedestrian-comfort and walk-time screening criteria.

The decision follows in-depth traffic analysis and field survey work that, according to UDOT, tested each option against the project’s purpose and need: reduce vehicle queues on the I-80 off-ramp, improve travel times on State Route 224 and improve pedestrian and bicycle mobility. "Alternative B is not moving forward, and that is because it's not meeting some of the elements of the purpose and need, specifically the pedestrian comfort and the [walk] times," Strongness said.

Why it matters: The Kimball Junction area is a key intersection for local businesses, transit and resort access. The county’s elected officials pressed UDOT on the tradeoffs among right-of-way impacts, wetland effects and construction complexity — factors that UDOT said made option B the least promising despite its conceptual fit with earlier area plans.

What UDOT proposed: Strongness summarized the three alternatives presented in the area plan: alternative A (a split-diamond interchange and new west bridge to tie into Landmark Drive, extra frontage roads and a BRT lane at Olympic Parkway), alternative B (a grade-separated solution that depresses SR-224 below surface streets) and alternative C (intersection improvements and a pedestrian undercrossing south of Butte Boulevard). "Alternative B has the highest wetland impact, three business relocations, the largest footprint and the highest cost and construction complexity," Strongness said when asked why it was being dropped.

Schedule and how to comment: UDOT staff said the alternative screening report is in a 30-day public comment period and provided a project contact (KimballJunctionEIS@utah.gov) and a project website. Strongness said the agency aims to post a draft EIS later this summer and work toward a record of decision by the end of the year. She urged earlier submission of design 'betterments' such as pedestrian overpasses or landscaping so they can be evaluated rather than added at the eleventh hour.

Council questions and next steps: Councilmembers asked whether tweaks or combinations of alternatives could be analyzed and whether changes would require rerunning traffic models. UDOT replied that minor tweaks may not delay the process but changes that alter traffic patterns would require new modeling. The county staff also said it will prepare comments and work with UDOT during the open comment period.

The EIS is a multi-step federal process; the county’s comment window on the screening report is the current opportunity to propose modifications or 'betterments' that could be incorporated into later design and funding discussions.