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WFRC briefs committee on SB242: new tiered roadway review for Salt Lake City and UTN codification
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Summary
WFRC staff summarized provisions in Senate Bill 242 affecting Salt Lake City roadway classifications (tier 1–4) and said the bill also defines the Utah Trail Network in statute and allows state funds for corridor preservation; members raised concerns about potential state overreach into municipal street decisions.
Andrew Gruber, executive director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, told the committee on Feb. 10 that Senate Bill 242 — the transportation omnibus currently moving through the legislature — contains several provisions relevant to active transportation and local control.
"Senate Bill 242 ... is now clocking in at 99 pages," Gruber said, summarizing the bill’s highlights for committee members. He said one prominent change would repeal and replace the prior structure that limited Salt Lake City’s ability to alter some roadways, and would instead require Salt Lake City and UDOT to develop a tiered system classifying roads into tiers 1 through 4.
Under the bill’s substitute language, tier 1 roads would be regionally significant routes where the focus is on automobile movement and certain highway‑reduction strategies would be restricted except for safety projects coordinated with UDOT. Tier 2 roads would require stakeholder engagement and UDOT approval for highway‑reduction strategies. Tiers 3 and 4 would be lower‑volume roads with fewer restrictions. Gruber said WFRC is not taking a position on the bill but noted it includes language that will require city–state coordination on classifications and approvals.
Gruber and staff also noted the bill explicitly defines the Utah Trail Network in code and ties the state’s active transportation investment fund to UTN programming and corridor preservation, allowing state funds to be used for corridor preservation for future UTN projects.
Committee members pressed whether the requirement that Salt Lake City classify every road into tiers 1–4 constitutes an overreach by the state into municipal authority. One member described concerns the classification work and associated procedural requirements could be time‑consuming and set a precedent for state involvement beyond tier 1 roads. WFRC staff replied that Salt Lake City transportation staff have been engaged in the drafting process and that the proposal seeks a joint city–UDOT approach to classification and implementation.
The briefing was informational; the committee did not take a formal position on the legislation during the meeting.
