Council prioritizes street projects, eyes 1100 West as alternate corridor to relieve SR‑9 congestion

Council members discussed road maintenance and planned street projects as part of the broader budget briefing on April 15, focusing on how to keep engineering and construction moving to avoid multi‑year delays.

Staff said the city has three street projects in engineering at any time to maintain a pipeline. Near‑term work identified in staff materials includes 700 West (from SR‑9 south toward 400 South), 1100 West expansion near the airport and a 100‑block downtown renovation project. Staff told the council the city plans to allocate about $10,000,000 to streets in the near term and that some work is tied to B&C (state road funds) and local road‑maintenance revenues.

Council members raised traffic concerns on SR‑9 and discussed options including turn‑lane modifications, intersection improvements and longer‑term corridor expansions; one councilmember proposed inviting the state legislature to view peak traffic conditions to underscore the need for state investment. The members agreed that zoning changes and new development increase demand on streets and that road planning should be coordinated with land‑use decisions.

On delivery strategy, councilmembers discussed the tradeoff between assigning multiple projects to a single engineering firm (which had stretched schedules) and using multiple firms to keep projects moving. Staff indicated they intend to bid or hire multiple consultants so projects can proceed in parallel once funding is available.

Staff will provide the council with maps showing the streets scheduled for chip‑seal/slurry and specific project scopes before the next meetings so elected officials can review neighborhood impacts and priorities.