Green River wins $600,000 grant to design Broadway improvements; businesses press for parking and traffic protections

The Green River City Council heard a presentation Sept. 9 on a $600,000 design-and-engineering grant for a Broadway/Main Street infrastructure project and heard business owners warn that changes must preserve parking and vehicle access.

Linda Hansel of Ensign Engineering and Land Surveying told the council the funding is from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity’s Rural Communities Opportunity Grant and was awarded in December. “It’s called the rural communities opportunity grant … we were awarded in December,” Hansel said. She said the grant will fund design and engineering for improvements along Broadway — roughly from the south end of Broadway up about 300 feet along Main Street and then down toward the BattleBlock/Chirby area — and that the consultant team expects a six- to eight-month schedule for public engagement and design work.

The project team emphasized public outreach. “We are gonna have public hearings or public input sessions,” Hansel said, and said the consultants will coordinate with city staff to notify stakeholders and organize steering committees and other meetings.

Downtown business owners who attended the meeting urged the city and consultants to protect vehicle access and parking for RVs, boats and delivery vehicles that serve existing businesses. One longtime business owner said, “If what happens to Broadway doesn’t positively impact us, you’ll put two of the only businesses on Broadway that have a business. I guarantee. 100%.” Another downtown proprietor added, “We’re not against you guys beautifying Broadway. We’re in favor of actually beautifying, bringing it up … But we would love lights.”

Speakers also flagged traffic flow and drainage as early priorities. Consultants said traffic engineering — including a review by Hales Engineering, described in the meeting as an experienced traffic consultant — will guide designs to preserve access for large vehicles and to limit loss of curbside parking. Staff and consultants said drainage and a stormwater plan must precede construction, and they reassured attendees that traffic and parking needs would be studied before any proposals would be finalized.

Council members and staff encouraged business participation in early steering meetings. The presenters said they would work with staff to create an outreach timeline and use multiple formats (in-person steering committees and online/posting) to ensure business owners and residents can weigh in.

The presentation did not include a council vote; the session focused on project scope, grant funding and public engagement steps. The consultant team and city staff said they will announce specific public meetings and will directly contact downtown stakeholders to schedule early steering-group sessions.

If the project proceeds to later design and construction phases, council members said the city would coordinate with UDOT on portions of state-owned Main Street and would return to council for approvals and funding decisions at the appropriate stages.