The Utah Department Of Transportation held an open house on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at St. George City Hall to discuss the revised plans for the Bluff Street redesign. The open house began at 5 p.m. with many community members arriving early to learn about the plans.
Officials from the UDOT Bluff Street redesign project were on hand to share information through video, literature, face-to-face explanation and question answering. The UDOT Bluff Street redesign calls for a widening and re-configuring of the Bluff Street Corridor. The $51 million dollar project proposes to make road improvements for traffic flow on Bluff Street. $38 million of the project is dedicated to construction between Sunset Boulevard and St. George Boulevard. Another $13 million is projected for a reconfiguration of the intersection at Sunset Boulevard and Bluff Street.
Bluff Street redesign: Project purpose and need
Purpose: The purpose of the Bluff Street redesign project is to accommodate future (2040) travel demand on Bluff Street and at the St. George Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard intersections.
Need: Projected 2040 traffic volumes will cause Bluff Street and the St. George Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard intersections to fail. This would result in lengthy delays for the traveling public.
Work to date
2012–Environmental Assessment (EA) completed and approved with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
2014–Design innovations proposed
2015–EA reevaluated to assess the proposed design changes and evaluate potential impacts.
Recommendations:
- Modify design at St. George Boulevard from a thru-turn to a superstreet
- Modify Bluff Street design to include three lanes in each direction from 100 South to Sunset Boulevard
- Change selected alternative at Sunset Boulevard from a jug-handle underpass to a realigned T-intersection
- Project team is accepting comments on the EA reevaluation through September 1, 2015
Potential impacts of UDOT Bluff Street Redesign
Right-of-way
- 26 Business relocations (located in 9 commercial buildings)
- 9 full property right-of-way purchases
- 41 partial property right-of-way purchases
Noise
- 1 business impacted by increased noise
- A noise study did not recommend a noise wall
Cultural resources, Section 4(f), water resources and water quality
- 75 feet of City Creek will be placed in a culvert
- 0.01 acres of wetlands impacted (.005 permanently and .005 temporarily)
- No adverse effect to cultural resources
- De minimis impacts to Sandtown Park, Dixie Red Hills Golf Course, and Bluff Street Trail (see Impacted Section 4(f) Recreational)
Next steps
Fall 2015–Anticipate a revised FONSI
2015–Complete final design
2015 through Summer 2016–Right-of-way acquisition
2018–Construction
*Construction of the intersection at St. George Boulevard will be phased. Construction on the interim solution may be as early as 2018. The superstreet will be constructed at a later date based on future traffic volumes.
Public comment still being sought on UDOT Bluff Street Redesign through Sept. 1, 2015
Comments on the UDOT Bluff Street redesign project can be made:
- online on comment web page
- email: bluff@utah.gov
- calling: (855) 415-3923
- More information can be found on UDOT project web page
It seems pretty clear to me (and has for six years since I moved here) that the northbound Bluff to westbound Sunset needs an overpass. 3 lanes. Swoop. Can you say collision avoidance. Yeah, some kid rear ended me while texting.