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Highland approves interlocal agreements for 4800 West safety and trail improvements; county to fund majority
Summary
The Highland City Council approved two interlocal agreements to accept Utah County funding for safety and trail work on 4800 West and to formalize cost sharing with neighboring Alpine. Utah County will provide just over $5 million; Highland and Alpine will split a required local match of about 6.77 percent.
The Highland City Council voted unanimously to accept Utah County funding for roadway safety and multi-use trail improvements on 4800 West and to approve a companion interlocal agreement with the city of Alpine that formalizes the local match split.
Staff and consultants presented the project as a safety-focused corridor realignment at the State Route 92 intersection, shoulder and lane improvements, and a 10-foot multi-use trail on the east side to connect to existing regional trails. "The county would fund just over $5,000,000 toward this project," the city's presentation said; the council packet shows a county award of approximately $5.09 million with a required local match (6.77 percent) shared by Highland and Alpine.
City engineer Chris Trustee walked the council through conceptual drawings and noted three private-property acquisitions likely to be needed on the east side to improve lane alignment and to provide room for the trail. Staff also flagged a difference between the engineer's original estimate ($6.4 million) and the awarded grant amount (roughly $5.4 million), and said the design phase will refine scope and cost. Funding availability is scheduled to begin in January 2026, and staff said work could start in spring 2026 depending on design and procurement.
Lois Christiansen, a property owner whose lot lies along the alignment, told the council the roadway is already busy and asked that staff minimize takings; she said neighbors typically do not park in front of homes on the corridor because of traffic. Staff told the council they will negotiate property acquisitions and include homeowner concerns in those talks.
Councilmember Scott moved to approve the interlocal agreement with Utah County; Councilmember Kim seconded. The motion passed 5-0. The council then approved a separate interlocal agreement with Alpine defining how the local match will be split; that vote also passed 5-0. The agreements direct staff to work with Alpine to select a design engineer, produce bid documents and negotiate property purchases.
Staff said the project priorities include aligning lanes through the SR-92 intersection, adding safe shoulders or bicycle lanes, completing a two-way left-turn lane where appropriate, and building a continuous multi-use trail on the east side to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity. Staff noted that adding marked bike lanes under recent state rules would require changing on-street parking in some areas; council members requested staff return with alternatives and neighborhood impacts during the design phase.
What comes next: staff will select a design contractor, complete right-of-way and utility assessments, refine cost estimates and return to council for contract awards and any property purchase approvals. The council directed staff to pursue minimizing property impacts, consider 5-foot shoulders where possible to limit acquisitions, and to prioritize bicycle and pedestrian safety in design.
