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Hurricane City approves MOU to build SR‑7 Exit 19 interchange and Sand Hollow State Park entrance
Summary
Hurricane City council approved a memorandum of understanding that makes the city responsible for design and construction of a new SR‑7 Exit 19 interchange and a park entrance for Sand Hollow State Park, leveraging a $2 million grant and land contributions from the Washington County Water Conservancy District.
The Hurricane City Council approved a memorandum of understanding to design and construct the SR‑7 Exit 19 on‑ and off‑ramp and a new entrance into Sand Hollow State Park.
City leaders said the project is intended to ease congestion on Sand Hollow Road and give better access to the park for visitors, emergency responders and the Washington County Water Conservancy District.
The MOU assigns Hurricane City to manage the design and construction work and related utilities. City staff said the project is funded in part by a $2,000,000 grant awarded in November and by state parks funding allocated during the most recent legislative session. The Washington County Water Conservancy District has agreed to convey property to UDOT for the ramps; the district is not contributing cash beyond the land transfer.
Arthur (construction manager, Hurricane City) told the council that state parks may use the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM) for some facilities, which could change city responsibilities but likely would not affect the overall MOU because the city would continue procurement and project management as required. Staff said the draft MOU was prepared by Hurricane City Attorney Dane Hall and circulated to stakeholders for review; additional edits may be proposed when the other agencies take the agreement to their boards.
Park representatives and a park manager described how the new entrance will improve parking and staging areas near the gate, and will provide better ingress and egress for July 4 events and recreational users, including ATV and UTV clubs that currently lack a nearby staging area. John Ulrich, identified in the meeting as a Quail Creek State Park manager, explained the park's cottages and nightly rental setup when the council asked about visitor housing at nearby parks.
Council members asked about the conceptual design, parking and how the new entrance will relate to existing park infrastructure (including a one‑way tunnel discussed during the meeting). Staff said concept designs exist from the grant process and will be refined during the contracted design phase. If the county, state parks or DFCM request changes, the MOU will be edited and returned to the council for approval if needed.
The council approved the MOU by motion and vote; council records show the motion to approve was made by Councilman Thomas and seconded by Councilman Hershey.
Next steps: staff will finalize procurement documents and design scopes, coordinate inspections with UDOT and confirm which elements DFCM will perform. Stakeholders indicated they will return to their respective boards for final approvals.
