The inbound and outbound lanes along the S.R. 248 entryway will not be separated by any sort of barrier when the roadwork is completed this fall, a scenario that state transportation officials say will not make the busy highway more dangerous.
The Utah Department of Transportation, which controls the road, is continuing work on the $3 million upgrade to S.R. 248. One of the key parts of the overall project was the removal of the barrier between the two lanes along the entryway.
Tony Lau, the resident engineer who is overseeing the project for the state, said the workers will paint lane lines on S.R. 248 that will serve as the separator of the two directions. There will be between six and 10 feet of separation between the inbound and outbound lanes along the entryway, he said.
“We’re trying to keep traffic as far away from opposing traffic as we can,” Lau said.
He said there are state highways throughout Utah that are not separated with barriers.
“Taking the barrier out does not make that road any less safe,” Lau said.
Lau said data will be collected after the project is completed measuring driver speeds to compare with the numbers while the barrier was in place.
S.R. 248, one of two all-season roads entering and leaving Park City, challenged transportation planners as traffic increased over the years of fast growth in the area. Commuters from parts of the Snyderville Basin, the East Side of Summit County and Wasatch County regularly drive the highway on their way in and out of Park City. Backups along S.R. 248 entryway, particularly during the school year, have been some of the worst in the Park City area.
On one side of S.R. 248 along the entryway is a steep hillside. There are wetlands on the other side. The physical constraints make it difficult to expand the road with additional lanes.
The work this year stretches between Park City High School and Main Street in Kamas. The crews are resurfacing the road and installing bicycle lanes on both sides of S.R. 248 along the Park City entryway in addition to removing the barrier. The project is expected to be completed by the end of September.
The removal of the barrier opens up possibilities for people considering long-range plans for S.R. 248. The extra space created by the removal could someday allow a carpool or bus lane. The idea of creating a reversible lane inbound in the morning and outbound in the afternoon — has also been brought up.
Park City leaders have expressed interest in those sorts of ideas, with the thinking going that traffic could be reduced if more people carpooled or took buses into Park City. A park-and-ride lot has been built along the entryway that could someday play an important role if a carpool or bus lane is created on S.R. 248.