UDOT identifies preferred alternative for Kimball Junction draft EIS; public hearings set

The Utah Department of Transportation told the Summit County Council it has identified a preferred alternative in the draft Kimball Junction Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and opened a 45-day public comment period. Becky Stromness, UDOT project manager, said the draft EIS favors an intersection-improvement alternative that includes pedestrian enhancements and additional lanes rather than a more complex grade-separated option.

Stromness said UDOT undertook the EIS to address worsening congestion and safety at Kimball Junction along State Route 224 and to improve multimodal access, including pedestrian, bicycle, and BRT (bus rapid transit) connections. The study began with a 2021 Kimball Junction Area Plan that advanced three alternatives; UDOT reported the level‑3 and level‑4 screening process removed an alternative that would have used grade-separated intersections with one-way frontage roads because it failed pedestrian and bicyclist mobility criteria, had greater property impacts and higher cost, and did not deliver substantially greater benefits.

UDOT said the draft EIS evaluates two remaining alternatives: Alternative A (a split-diamond interchange with intersection improvements) and Alternative C (intersection improvements with pedestrian enhancements). UDOT identified Alternative C as the preferred alternative, noting it reduces travel delay, produces acceptable intersection LOS (level of service) during peak periods, shortens off‑ramp queues, and represents a more cost‑reasonable approach that preserves flexibility for future development.

Key features of Alternative C described to the council include additional on‑ and off‑ramp lanes at the I‑80 interchanges, a third through lane in both northbound and southbound directions on SR‑224 (bringing it to three lanes each way), dual left‑turn lanes and added right‑turn lanes at Ute and Olympic Parkway intersections, a new pedestrian underpass between Ute and Olympic, and continuous bike lanes along SR‑224. Stromness said the draft EIS comment period began March 14 and runs through April 28; UDOT scheduled two public hearings, including an in‑person hearing at Ecker Hill Middle School with an open house followed by a presentation and comment period, and a virtual hearing via Zoom on April 10.

When asked about funding and delivery, UDOT officials said the department is pursuing inclusion of the project on the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and expected discussion to occur in transportation commission workshops in late April/early May and a STIP workshop in early May. UDOT staff indicated there is an interim STIP‑funded project to add dual left‑turn lanes at Ute (estimated $3–4 million) and that procurement for design is being prepared; construction on that interim work could start in 2027, depending on procurement, right‑of‑way acquisition, and construction schedules. For the larger project, UDOT said the department may advance early design work if seed funding is available but had not set a firm construction start date and said final timing depends on STIP funding and cash‑flow decisions.

UDOT encouraged public comment on the preferred alternative, the analysis, identified impacts, and proposed mitigation; comments can be submitted by phone, email, mail, the study website, or at the public hearings. Stromness said UDOT intends to issue a final EIS and record of decision later in the year after responding to public comments and conducting any additional analysis.