in Roads
It’s time to admit that the Jeremy Roundabout project is screwed up. No revisionist history will fix that.
Sometimes I think that our Summit County leaders don’t live in the same world we do. Do they come over to Jeremy and see what’s happening with the roundabouts? Do they see the cars going the wrong way through the roundabout and almost causing head-on collisions? Do they see the trucks that just randomly stop and block lanes, so you have to go the wrong way?
For example, I was waiting at the Jeremy Roundabouts the afternoon for about 10 minutes, trying to get to the elementary school. When the construction worker allowed me through the intersection, my Jeep was almost hit by the excavator as it swung around as I drove through the dirt. Decapitation via excavator a day after halloween would be surreal.
Yet, the whole thing is a mess. No one in their right mind, who would drive through the Pinebrook or Jeremy Roundabouts, would conclude anything differently. In Utah we would say things are EFFED UP. In most of the rest of the country they would have more choice words.
Summit County has done a good job of communicating about roundabout traffic flow changes. The County’s PR person, Krachel Murdoch relentlessly tells the public about what’s happening via Facebook, NextDoor and any other medium available. I feel for her. She is like a Boeing Media Specialist WILLING you to believe the 737 MAX-800 will some day be air-worthy. Yet, talk is talk and walk is walk.
The fact that the construction crews are working on the roundabouts at 5:30PM on a Friday afternoon tells you everything you need to know, when they were gone at 3PM most of the summer. That they are working weekends now tells you even more.
Yet, many of the County’s communications read straight out of Orwell. We have always been at war with East Asia. In this case they seem to try to convince us that we are on schedule and if only it hadn’t snowed on Halloween and if there weren’t buried pipes things would be perfect. Every construction project has unforeseen, buried issues. It usually snows by Halloween. It’s cold here in the Fall. It’s not an excuse.
The truth is they started too late.
If you go back to early KPCW interviews, the County indicated they would start the roundabouts in April. They did’t really start until the third week of June. A middle-schooler who had read Jack London would recognize that you never start a project, in the mountains, unless you start on time.
So let’s be straight up regardless of how painful the conversation is. Summit County Public works screwed up Kilby Rd. The winding nature of the road and the the bike lanes demonstrated a lack of competence and a danger to citizens. Trying to do two roundabouts — some of the largest in Utah history at the same time — when you start late further makes us question if they are up to task.
My only hope is that UDOT will demand a plan that allows their snow plows to operate. That in turn will hopefully make it so cars can pass safely through the gauntlet after 24 inches of snow. God help me that I am putting my hopes on UDOT.
Let’s not forget that Summit County pushed the roundabouts to get done this Fall. There was some burning desire to push it through (likely to allow More development along Rasmussen Rd.). UDOT was looking at doing it in the next 10 – 20 years. So, it is really all on Summit County. The buck stops there.
Time is running out to make the roundabouts functional within the next couple of weeks. Faith is also running out. Roads construction in November costs a lot of money. I’d like to implore the county to do something to fix the roundabouts, but I’m not sure what they can really do.
So we are left with praying for warm weather and no snow. Just what you want in a mountain town as winter approaches.
Then next summer, once the roundabouts are completed, we can implore the County to stop. Fill in pot holes. Overlay asphalt. Do what you are good at. But no more roads. Nothing big. Just stop.
Unfortunately we know that’s not going to happen.
Good luck people of Silver Creek. Your Bitner Road Connector is right around the corner.
Parkrag
We believe in citizen journalism. We believe there are stories to tell that can help to shape our community for the better. We believe tomorrow's Park City can be better than today's.
Comments
7 Comments
I heard someone call the Jeremy/Pinebrook area “Kimball Junction West” the other day…ouch.
There’s a reason we moved. Good luck.
Well once they fill in Rasmussen Rd along I-80 that will be true for sure. It will be just like the Northeast corridor. Mission Accomplished.
Hopefully they can find a way to connect Park City all the way down to SLC. Why not?
Truth be know, you probably moved at the the right time.
That is, until UDOT decides to make 224 an 8-lane Highway 🙂
Agreed, 224 is going to be a disaster soon. Maybe eventually the city/county will see the light and start charging serious money for parking. But I’m not holding my breath.
We’ve actively discussed if we’ll stay in the area long term. If in another few years it’s just gridlock, we’ll bail. To where, I don’t know, of course.
You’re right on the parking fees. Until Park City Municipal goes to the end-game of either charging high parking fees or outright bans cars, I think complaining over traffic is just lip service. They could make it extremely prohibitive to park anywhere in city limits (unless you live there) or they could ban cars (unless you live there). That then forces people to take the bus, which is what they say they want.
However, the Chamber of Commerce isn’t going to let that happen. Historic Park City isn’t going to let that happen. Instead they look for expensive solutions, that accomplish less than banning/reducing cars, but hope they don’t really reduce car usage because that will piss of the businesses.
They just can’t have it both ways.
I’m just waiting for Yogi Berra and it getting so crowded that no one goes there any more.
The city folks and COC need to go visit Pearl Street in Boulder and watch the money piling up at businesses that can only be accessed on foot. I am still in disbelief that anyone can drive a car on Main street in Old Town – if there was ever a street that should be a pedestrian mall, that’s it.
Charge $15 an hour for parking and offer really, really good public transit. New York knows how to do it, there’s no special secret. Public transit and walking/biking have to be more attractive than driving. Part of that equation is to make driving (and especially parking) way more expensive to reflect the actual costs.
Getting back to the original topic–yes, the Jeremy/Pinebrook (lest anyone thinks they are immune to this debacle) roundabout project is sad example of negligence and incompetence. By UDOT and Summit County officials and managers. Bad design born of identifying a cheap solution. Worse execution. Ever-changing traffic patterns, poor signage and NO streetlights (Seriously, all three that illuminate the I-80EB Exit 141 off ramp to the roundabout construction zone have been inoperative for months. Apparently, power was cut to them as part of the construction and has yet to be restored, even after being reported by several citizens.).
Daily, we’re subject to damage to our vehicles attempting to navigate this poorly-managed situation. You’d have to be insane to attempt to traverse as a pedestrian. Someone will be seriously-injured in a crash that can be avoided. Who will pay for those medicals bills, lost work time and perhaps, disability or survivor benefits? Will the County Council make a proclamation for a day of remembrance for the guy, gal or kid that’s caught up in this? I’m sure Kratchel will write a artfully-crafted statement to attempt to diffuse community anger over that, as well.
Disney solved the problem for us back in the 50’s. Put in a monorail along the rail trail from Richardson Flats to a transit hub at Bonanza and 248. Electric, easy to build (fabricate in a shop, place on footings inthe field and erect it), quite, and fast. Once at the transit hub, transfer to gondolas that go to PCMR, transit hub at Swede Alley, and DV. Mammoth Mountain did a great job mitigating traffic at the Canyon Lodge by installing a lift that came from a parking area a mile away. The lift ran through neighborhoods and unless you were looking at it you didn’t even know it was there. As for UDOT proposing to widen 248, look at California. Widening a road doesn’t’ lessen traffic issues, it accommodates more cars. PC needs to put in “rides that people believe are fun” and people will use them. Nobody wants to ride a bus. We only do it when we have to.
Leave a Comment