Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County commissioner seeks council support for John Valley Road designation; councilers urge road improvements over renaming
Summary
A county commissioner asked Bryce Canyon City to support a county plan to add a green-designation sign to John Valley Road to promote traffic to neighboring Antimony; council members said improving the road would have more impact than a designation and raised concerns about politicized names and vandalism.
Commissioner Tebs, representing the county, asked Bryce Canyon City Council to consider endorsing a designation for John Valley Road that would add a green sign under the existing county road name to promote traffic and economic activity for Antimony and nearby communities.
Council members discussed the request at length but stopped short of a formal vote to endorse a name-based designation. Instead several council members urged pursuing road safety and funding solutions, including petitioning the state to assume the road or seeking grants to upgrade the narrow route. Members voiced concern that a politically charged designation (the county proposal discussed naming options including a politician’s name) could deter visitors and might attract vandalism to signage.
Commissioner Tebs said Antimony residents and officials want to encourage tourists to travel the John Valley route to create economic opportunity; he described the request as a designation rather than a renaming and said Antimony would not change the road’s legal name. Several council members — while acknowledging the potential tourism benefit — emphasized the road’s current safety and surface issues, and urged coordinated funding efforts that would raise the corridor to state-highway standards before efforts to drive traffic through the route.
Casey King, identified in the meeting as Antimony’s interim mayor and fire chief, attended and spoke as a representative of Antimony’s interest in improving traffic to the area. Council members noted the road carries a mix of local and tour-bus traffic and said that improving the corridor’s condition and safety would be the most effective way to attract and sustain visitors.
No formal motion to adopt a designation passed during the meeting. Council members directed staff and commissioner representatives to explore funding and state-level options, and several said they would revisit support if tangible funding or a state takeover of the corridor were advanced.
Context: the request came after outreach from Antimony-area officials seeking coordinated support from connecting communities. The John Valley corridor is a county road with narrow segments and places that council members said may need rerouting or surfacing upgrades to meet higher traffic demand.
