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Heber Valley Corridor team pauses to re-screen alternatives after new travel-demand model shows higher traffic
Summary
Craig Hancock told the Wasatch County Council the updated MAG travel-demand model shows roughly 30% higher traffic in the North 40 area and 10% on Main Street, prompting re-examination of alternatives, additional grade-separation options and a tight timeline: alternative screening report in early spring and a draft EIS by fall, with a record of decision targeted for early 2026.
Craig Hancock, presenting for the Heber Valley Corridor study team, said recent updates to the MAG travel-demand model pushed projected traffic volumes higher in the study area and prompted staff to "step back and do a new screening based on some of the changes." He told the council the new model showed about 30% more traffic in the North 40 area and roughly a 10% increase on Main Street compared with the previous model.
"We saw about a 30% more traffic in the North 40 area," Hancock said. He described the teamprocess: first evaluate alternatives against the project's purpose and need (regional and local mobility, active transportation, and Heber City's historic-town-center vision), then apply a Level 2 screening for higher-impact, regulatory constraints such as waters of the U.S., wetlands and historic properties, and finally factor right-of-way and cost into decisions.
Given the updated demand numbers, Hancock said the team will re-screen the five previously studied alternatives rather than create wholly new routes and will look at modifications including adding lanes to North 40 and incorporating grade-separated, free-flow options at candidate locations such as SR-189/South 40, Coyote Lane, Potter Lane (Potters Lane) and a SR-32 interchange. "In addition to the at-grade alternatives we've been looking at, we also feel like we need to look at a free flow option as well," he said.
Hancock outlined a compressed schedule: publish an updated alternative screening report by early spring, release a draft EIS in the fall and aim for a final EIS/record of decision by spring 2026, while noting that a new traffic model under development could push parts of the timeline into 2027. He said the team will post the alternative-screening report so stakeholders can review footprints of the alternatives and understand potential impacts.
Council members pressed on whether the model incorporates proposed annexation and land-use changes near Heber; Hancock said the model should reflect anticipated densities assigned to zones by MAG and local staff but that screening will revisit assumptions. Several council members and staff requested ongoing briefings as alternatives are refined.
No formal decision was taken; Hancock said the study will continue public and stakeholder engagement as it moves toward a preferred alternative.
