| Traffic, including a coal-haul truck, rushes along SR-10 near the Four Mile Hill. UDOT will host the second public meeting regarding traffic conditions on the narrow stretch of the highway from Stake Farm Road to U.S. 6 on Aug. 17 at the Carbon County School District offices in Price. |
While traffic safety concerns on U.S. Highway 6 from Green River to Spanish Fork have received a vast amount of publicity, questions regarding the conditions on Utah State Road 10 have been overlooked by the public and media for years.
One reason conditions on SR-10 have not become a major issue may be because the highway acts as a local road, carrying travelers between the cities in Carbon and Emery counties more than serving interstate traffic.
But the vehicle counts continue to increase on SR-10 and, with the recent publicity the last few years about the San Rafael Swell, tourist traffic has picked on the highway up as well. So the Utah Department of Transportation has not forgotten the road exists.
The transportation department has been working on several SR-10 projects, including replacing bridges and widening the road to four lanes at numerous places between Price and Huntington.
But UDOT has not undertaken major projects on the section of highway between Stake Farm Road and SR-10’s intersection with U.S. 6.
Private, industrial and commercial properties line the edges of the section of the SR-10 corridor and improving the road could become not only an expensive project, but an emotional issue.
UDOT recently hired a consultant to assess the needs along the section of highway in question and conducted a public meeting in June to accept public input in the matter
With the information gathered at the meeting, the department has been studying the situation.
In September, alternatives will be developed and a final corridor study, including public comments, will be issued.
Community meetings will be scheduled to present the final study results to Carbon County residents.
UDOT indicated that the comments the transportation department received during the June meeting dealt primarily with seven subjects.
The topics included general safety issues, the absence of left-turn lanes on the section of SR-10, the narrow roadway and shoulders, coal-hauling and industrial truck traffic concerns, inadequate access for motorists entering and exiting the highway, the lack of sidewalks alongside the section of roadway and the possible relocation of the existing corridor.
The department of transportation has identified several possible alternatives for dealing with the problems on the section of SR-10 in question.
The alternatives identified by the state transportation department include:
•Leaving the stretch of highway unchanged.
•Constructing a west bypass road for the purpose of handling the SR-10 traffic. The option would involve having the new bypass highway tie into U.S. 6 west of the existing intersection.
On the south end, the new highway would tie into SR-10 near the Ridge Road intersection.
The present road would be used for local access and no improvements would be undertaken on the highway.
The new road would meet all federal standards for modern highways.
•Constructing an east bypass road.
The bypass highway would attach to U.S. 6 east of the present junction and connect with SR-10 near Ridge Road.
The existing road would be used for local access and no improvements would be done.
The new road would meet all federal standards for modern highways.
Both the east and west alternatives would present several problems, including the costs involved in securing private property and the possible relocations of residential housing units.
•Widening the section of SR-10 to a four-five lane or a four-three lane configuration.
Turning lanes would be the key in many places to alleviate safety problems
•Building a truck traffic bypass road.
Only trucks and heavy vehicle traffic would be allowed on the bypass highway.
The bypass would tie in at Ridge Road and connect with U.S. 6 east or west of the present corridor.
•Building a railroad line to reduce the truck traffic on SR-10.
•Applying transportation system and/or travel demand management principles.
The option would increase the capacity of the corridor without changing the road.
Examples of the management measures include park and rides, carpooling, flexible work hours, tele-commuting and truck restrictions.
•Developing plans for a local public transit system.
The concept involves reducing vehicle counts on SR-10 by transporting people on buses.
No additional travel lanes would be needed with the option.
UDOT will host a second open house in the local area to accept input on SR-10.
The meeting is slated Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. in the Carbon County School District offices. The offices are located at 400 North and 251 West in Price.
Formal presentations are scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.
UDOT has dedicated a website to the project. Carbon County resident may access the site at www.udot.utah.gov/sr-10.