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Iron County presses UDOT to coordinate Iron Springs Road improvements; wins Safe Streets study grant
Summary
County engineers secured a UDOT project manager to begin design work on Iron Springs Road and won a federal Safe Streets study grant of $600,000 to identify near-miss locations and plan safety improvements. The county expects to leverage the study to apply for implementation funding next year.
Iron County engineers told commissioners on Dec. 9 that UDOT has assigned a project manager to the long-discussed Iron Springs Road project after the county secured federal funding. The county originally requested $9.925 million and received just over $7 million; UDOT will coordinate a 'high T' design—barrier-separated through lanes with dedicated merge lanes—to reduce conflict points while avoiding higher-cost roundabout or signal options.
Engineering staff explained the rationale: a high-T reduces cross-traffic conflict without the expense of signalization or the large cost increase a roundabout would have required. The engineer said the chosen design avoids major real-estate acquisitions and keeps construction focused on safety and traffic flow. Staff noted they will pothole and core the existing road to define the underlying base and assess exact reconstruction needs prior to setting a final county match and a construction schedule.
Separately, the county is the sponsor of a federal 'Safe Streets for All' planning grant and has $600,000 for a study phase. The program uses an interactive public map for residents to flag near misses (bike, walking, or vehicle), which the county will combine with crash data to identify hidden safety risks. The study is expected to be completed by April so the county can apply for implementation funding from federal sources next year.
A county engineer told the commission: "What we wanna know is where you almost got hit or where you're constantly having to be cautious because those are the areas that don't show up on crash data." The study will also examine targeted solutions such as climbing lanes or slow-traffic lanes on long grades where passing causes risk.
County officials said the Iron Springs Road design work and the Safe Streets study are complementary: design choices for Iron Springs Road will be coordinated with belt-route planning and future connector studies to avoid duplicated work and conflicting designs.
