Central Metro - South
Porter Rockwell Blvd. to provide east-west transportation corridor
Scrapers Cutting the Roadway for Porter Rockwell Blvd
http://www.udot.utah.gov
By Denise Sabin - 4 days ago...http://www.southvalleyjournal.com/pa...tion-corridor/
A major new road planned for Bluffdale will help to ease congestion and provide a thoroughfare to south valley residents. Porter Rockwell Blvd. will run southwest from 14600 South at 550 West, crossing Redwood Road at approximately 16000 South and intersecting with the Mountain View Corridor.
First conceived nearly 15 years ago, this road will fill the need for a major east-west connector for the south end of the valley.
“Porter Rockwell is important for regional transportation,” Mark Reid, Bluffdale city manager said. “Bluffdale has a lot of challenges going east and west.”
Some of these obstacles include railroad tracks, the Jordan River and irrigation canals. These transportation challenges within Bluffdale affect surrounding cities as well, since their residents must traverse through Bluffdale to get to I-15.
“Herriman doesn’t have a lot of routes for transportation going north,” Reid said. “Porter Rockwell is a great route to go around Bluffdale, instead of right through it.”
In addition to keeping their city from becoming a thoroughfare, Bluffdale city leaders also see the construction of this road as an opportunity for development.
Based on transportation studies, this will become a very busy corridor, Reid said. City leaders are planning on using this to their advantage by bringing in businesses along the corridor. The south section of the road ends near the Utah Data Center and is expected to be an especially promising area for commercial and business development, he said.
City officials are currently working on an economic development strategic plan that will more clearly outline options for growth in this area. Some priorities include bringing in tax revenues, as well as providing employment opportunities for residents.
Two segments of Porter Rockwell have already been partially constructed, one at each end of the corridor. The southwest section runs from Mountain View Corridor to Redwood Road, and the northeast section runs south from 14600 South, past Summit Academy high school, to approximately 15000 South. The next segment, which should be completed this spring, will continue south from the high school and border the new Independence master-planned community.
This road segment is needed to provide access to Independence, but is also being made possible by the development. DAI, the Independence developer, is providing the land for the corridor, and the impact fees from the building permits will help to fund construction of the road, City Engineer Michael Fazio said.
City officials are looking toward other developments on the south end of the corridor to help facilitate further road construction and to mitigate the estimated $110 million cost for the entire project. In addition to contributions by developers, other sources of funding will include federal, state and local funds.
So far, a $3.9 million federal grant has been awarded to the project. Additionally, $900,000 has been set aside by the Salt Lake County Council of Governments from its corridor preservation fund. These funds are collected on the county level and administered through city leaders working together. Fazio has applied for further funding through this avenue.
The two-and a half mile boulevard will eventually include five lanes; two in each direction and a turn lane, Fazio said. It will include bike lanes and a six-foot sidewalk, as well as the 10-foot wide Bonneville Shoreline Trail on the west side of the road. The project is scheduled for completion in eight years.
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