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Council gets update on UDOT Bangador Highway project; $4 million betterment and pedestrian tunnels remain unresolved
Summary
City staff briefed the council on UDOT’s Bangador Highway corridor project, including a staff request to place the highway under 4100 South (a city betterment estimated at $4 million), the schedule for property acquisitions and unresolved questions about grade‑separated pedestrian crossings.
City staff provided a detailed briefing on the UDOT‑led Bangador Highway corridor project and highlighted choices the city faces about betterments and pedestrian crossings.
Mr. Johnson (staff lead on transportation) said UDOT completed an environmental study in February 2024 and that the project has roughly a billion dollars in multi‑phase funding. He described a city request to take Bangador underneath 4100 South, which would require raising 4100 South by about 10 feet and would cost the city approximately $4 million as a betterment to preserve grade separation: “That will cost the city $4 million if we choose to continue with that betterment,” Johnson said.
Johnson told the council that early property acquisitions tied to the first phase could begin late this year or in early 2026 and that UDOT intends to start construction in late 2027. He described UDOT’s plan to shift the road alignment largely to the west to concentrate relocations on one side and discussed impacts such as relocations near Parkway Boulevard, effects on the city golf course landscaping, and the Jordan Valley aqueduct relocations.
Pedestrian grade‑separated crossings — including options for tunnels under the highway near 41st South and 35th South — remain contentious. Johnson said UDOT left crossing locations and whether they will be overpasses or tunnels to final design, and he urged the council to consider whether the city wants to insist on tunnels (which staff said would not be forced on the city but could change costs and neighborhood connectivity). Council members asked about the timing to make betterment decisions and whether UDOT will hold additional neighborhood meetings; staff said legal requirements for the environmental document have been met, but that final design and RFP development remain the right time to firm up city preferences.
The council did not take a formal position at the meeting; staff recommended the council decide whether to require a betterment or to accept UDOT’s typical over‑road design within the next six months so that the city’s priorities can be included in procurement documents and design‑build RFPs.
Next steps: staff said they will return with recommendations on tunnels and betterment timing ahead of UDOT’s RFP and final design processes.
