Herriman residents urge action on Gina Road safety; council pledges to pursue right-of-way acquisition

Residents of the Gina Road neighborhood told the Herriman City Council on May 28 that the unpaved street has become dangerous and must be prioritized for paving and safety improvements.

"Gina Road is unsafe, point blank," resident Jillian Demars said during public comment, describing two recent accidents in two weeks and children who walk on the dirt road to school. Several neighbors said the street has become a popular place for drivers to 'drift' and that rocks and potholes have damaged vehicles and created a health hazard.

Speakers described repeated promises of progress dating to 2019, concerns about a five-year scheduling delay and at least one homeowner who will not sell land because of unresolved compensation and utility requirements. "If it's private land, then I'm gonna close my section and people won't be able to drive on the road anymore," John Bushey told the council, saying police had told him enforcement was limited because parts of the roadway are privately owned.

Council members and staff responded with an outline of next steps. Staff said the current design for a full build is complete with a current estimated cost of about $3.5 million, including roughly $600,000 for a water line and about $300,000 for right-of-way acquisition. A 2022 estimate cited by staff was about $2.3 million; inflation and scope additions were given as primary reasons for the increase.

The mayor acknowledged the council had "missed the mark" in prioritizing the project and apologized to residents. Council members said they would pursue acquisition options — including using a real-estate agent for willing sellers, considering eminent domain only if agreement cannot be reached, and examining county and grant funding buckets — and asked staff to return to the council at the next work meeting in early June with concrete options. Councilmembers also discussed interim mitigations; staff said they would apply dust-mitigation (magnesium chloride) to public portions where appropriate.

Some residents offered to help fund or accelerate work: developer Zach Gordon said he was willing to pay for a sidewalk from his property to the road to protect children, and other speakers urged the city to consider paying appraised values to landowners to secure right-of-way.

The council emphasized competing capital priorities — including bonded projects such as 6000 West — but said land acquisition work would begin immediately and that they would pursue external funding options and report back.

The mayor closed the discussion by pledging to contact county officials and to "make this a priority" so the project could move sooner than the multi-year schedules residents feared.

The council did not adopt a formal resolution or budget amendment at the May 28 meeting; staff will return with a report and possible actions at the next work meeting in June.