Tooele County and regional planners urged elected officials to prioritize corridor preservation and right-of-way acquisition at the Council of Governments meeting on Sept. 18, 2025, citing rising construction costs and limits on grant eligibility unless corridors are secured.

Wayne Binion of the Wasatch Front Regional Council outlined funding and technical-assistance programs, noting that some WFRC programs do not apply to Tooele Valley while several UDOT-administered programs do. He said many UDOT programs require a local match — often in the 20%–40% range — and identified a surface-transportation program with a roughly 6.7% match as particularly advantageous when local COG funds are used as the match.

Rochelle (Tooele County transportation staff) reviewed the county’s 2024 Transportation Master Plan and its short-term corridor priorities: Pole Canyon extension east, Canyon Road crossovers, Tom’s Lane extension, Center Street (Bates Canyon to Pole Canyon), Highway 112 improvements and other corridors identified for corridor preservation. Rochelle told the council the county will pursue right-of-way acquisition first and then apply for construction grants; "we have to start with the corridors," she said.

Council discussion emphasized available local revenues and the need to sequence corridor purchases. County staff reported annual additions to preservation funds of roughly $900,000 per year for corridor preservation and about $3.5 million per year added to a third-quarter preservation fund (sales-tax-derived preservation funds). Members urged forming a corridor-prioritization committee to set top-1/2/3 priorities and use available funds to secure rights of way while grant and construction costs remain high.

Separately, Tooele City reported that UDOT had secured right of way across the Army Depot for the eventual Mid Valley Highway terminus and that the city had secured interim use of that right of way; the city noted funding remains to be identified for construction.

Discussion vs. decision: the meeting recorded a consensus to prioritize corridor preservation and recommended forming a committee, but no formal vote was taken that changed funding allocations. The council approved the August meeting minutes by voice vote during the meeting; the approval motion was moved, seconded and carried without recorded roll-call tallies.

Ending: county staff agreed to follow up with jurisdictions on corridor priorities and to circulate UDOT/WFRC funding links and application schedules for Technical Planning Assistance (TLC), Community Development Block Grant workshops and other programs.