Hooper staff outline multi‑phase 5500 West widening; open house and public hearing set

Hooper City planning staff told the Planning Commission that a multi‑phase project to widen and add curb and sidewalks on 5500 West is moving toward design and public engagement. The work covers sections of 5500 West between 4200 South and the Davis County line; staff said funding for the next phase—between 5500 South and the Davis County line—had already been awarded and additional phases are in the five‑year plan.

Staff said the city expects to begin outreach this fall or next spring and that the engineering team will present detailed plans at an open house and public hearing scheduled for next Thursday the 20th at 6:00 p.m. in the overflow area. The open house will use table stations for residents to ask questions; the public hearing will follow that session, staff said.

Planners said the work will be carried out in segments. The first phase completed earlier extended from 4200 South to the end of 5500 West; the next funded phase covers 5500 South to the Davis County line. Staff described a subsequent application to finance the segment from 5100 South back to 4200 South so the full length of 5500 West would eventually have curb, gutter and sidewalks. The roadway surface itself will remain the same width where constrained by existing right of way, staff said.

Staff raised traffic‑management reasons for advancing the schedule: when Utah State Route 177 reconstruction begins, construction traffic will likely shift onto 5500 West, increasing the need for safe pedestrian access and crossing improvements near schools. Staff said some neighborhoods along the corridor currently lack sidewalks and have open drainage ditches. To mitigate short‑term safety risks for schoolchildren, the city will continue to provide crossing guards for affected routes until sidewalks are complete.

Commissioners and staff discussed coordination with neighboring Roy City, which is constructing sidewalk on one side of a nearby section of 5500 West. Staff noted Roy’s project places sidewalk on only one side of the road and said Hooper had previously considered funding both sides but did not. Staff also discussed constraints where UDOT’s SR‑177 alignment and medians limit how wide the rebuilt road can be without major property takings or demolition.

The city advised residents that the open house will include staff from the design team to explain when and where construction is likely to occur and how temporary traffic routing may work. Officials encouraged residents with questions to attend the open house and the following public hearing so the city can record public comment as part of the formal review process.

Ending: Staff said schedule details, design exhibits and the formal agenda for the public hearing will be posted prior to next Thursday’s meeting. No formal decision or vote on project approval was taken at this Planning Commission meeting.