The project area is on 5400 South from Bangerter Highway to 4800 West.

Widening 5400 South has been recommended on long-range transportation plans for a number of years. Most recently in 2007, it was formally recommended in the Wasatch Front Regional Council's Regional Transportation Plan that includes planning through the year 2030.

In 2010 the Utah Legislature funded the improvement of 5400 South as a priority project. Senator Wayne Niederhauser sponsored Senate Bill 215 to fund the project and Representative Wayne Harper funded the project with $37.6 million.

The Wasatch Front Regional Council's 2030 Regional Transportation Plan is a plan to identify, finance, and implement a coordinated system of transportation improvements to serve existing and forecasted population and employment growth throughout Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber counties between the years 2007 and 2030.

The Wasatch Front Regional Council has developed a traffic model that predicts future travel demand for the Salt Lake Valley based on demographic data (population and employment growth) and land use patterns (spatial distribution of homes, employment centers, and commercial services). UDOT uses this model for all transportation projects in the Salt Lake Valley.

The below is UDOT's preferred timeline that is subject to change.

• Jan.-June 2011: Transportation Study
• April-Dec. 2011: Road Design
• June 2011-March 2012: Property Acquisition
• March-Fall 2012: Construction

Before any construction takes place, UDOT must complete a transportation study. In the study, UDOT analyzes transportation issues, makes traffic projections, screens possible solutions (alternatives) and looks at the possible impacts of the proposed solution (preferred alternative). Throughout the process the team asks for public concerns and input to help find the best improvements for an area.

Traffic volumes on 5400 South are projected to increase substantially because of population growth and the road's connection to major north-south roads like Bangerter Highway and the Mountain View Corridor. In the year 2010, about 3,000 vehicles travelled through 5400 South from Bangerter Highway to 4800 West during the afternoon peak hour. By the year 2040, this number is expected to more than double to about 6,500 vehicles.

UDOT identified the following transportation issues on 5400 South.

• Bottlenecks at 4015 West and 4800 West
• Traffic volumes will more than double by 2040 exceeding the capacity of 5400 South and causing delays and congestion.
• Travel times are expected to increase 30 to 60 percent by the year 2040.
• 5400 South has an accident rate double that of roadways with similar characteristics.
• 5400 South provides a vital east-west link in the regional transportation network. Poor operational conditions on 5400 South adversely affect regional mobility since 5400 South is one of the primary east-west travel routes in the Salt Lake Valley.

UDOT determined the preferred transportation improvement alternative based on the results of operational, engineering and environmental evaluations. The evaluations showed that the only options that could improve operations to an acceptable level were those that widened 5400 South to seven lanes.

Construction will take place from March through Fall 2012. Generally, crews will begin by replacing the sewer line, relocating power poles and installing a drainage system. Shortly after that effort is underway, crews will start to excavate and pave the south side of 5400 South and 4015 West. After crews complete the south side of 5400 South they will excavate and pave the north side.

The exact schedule and the above sequence of events is subject to change based on weather conditions and other factors. The contractor and the project public involvement team will work together to provide enough notice for residents and businesses to prepare for changes that will affect them.

Work will generally take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and most Saturdays

To improve travel convenience during construction, UDOT is requiring the contractor to keep two lanes open in the peak direction of traffic during peak-hour traffic times and at least one lane open in the non-peak direction of traffic during peak traffic times.

Construction crews will:

• Widen 5400 South from five to seven lanes from Bangerter Hwy. to 4800 West
• Reconfigure the 5400 South/4015 West intersection to a ThrU-Turn intersectionto improve traffic flow and safety and to keep more businesses in Kearns
• Build a High-T intersection (left-in, left-out), on the south side of 5400 South between Bangerter Hwy. and 4015 West, to improve access to the business park
• Add four new signalized intersections and upgrade four existing signalized intersections
• Add a pedestrian crosswalk with flashing warning lights by the fire station
• Build a six-foot concrete wall along the property lines of homes on the south side of 5400 south from 4270 West to 4580 West
• Widen and add sidewalks along 5400 South and 4015 West to bring them up to UDOT and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
• Add trees on the south side of 5400 South
• Install a drainage system including two fenced detention basins

Kilgore

$37.6 million

UDOT will provide baseline landscape treatments and Salt Lake County will be adding trees on the south side of 5400 South.

The county is also providing funds to build a six-foot concrete wall along the property lines of homes on the south side of 5400 south from 4270 West to 4580 West.

The project will add three-foot shoulders along 5400 South to accommodate bicyclists.

If funding is not available for additional betterments at the time of construction, Salt Lake County may implement desired amenities at a later time.

UDOT will be striping a three-foot shoulder on each side of 5400 South that bicyclists may use. UDOT and Salt Lake County are still discussing the possibility of a dedicated bike lane but need to look at liability standards and other concerns on a road of this speed.

The speed limit will be 45 mph east of 4015 West and 40 mph west of 4015 West.

• 5400 South has an accident rate double that of similar roadways.
• Traffic bottlenecks at 4015 West.
• Traffic volumes on 5400 South are projected to more than double by 2040.
• Travel time on 5400 South is expected to increase 30 to 60 percent by 2040.
• 5400 South is a vital east-west link in the regional transportation network.

A TTI is an innovative design that improves traffic flow at congested intersections. The concept reduces delay and improves safety by redirecting left turns from the main intersection to the nearby u-turn locations.

UDOT researched several improvement options (dual lefts, Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI), quadrant roadway intersection) and found that the TTI was the most cost-efficient solution to enhance safety, preserve businesses and improve traffic flow.

• The TTI improves traffic flow by not requiring the majority of drivers to wait for the few turning left. Left-turns cause the most delay at the 5400 South/4015 West intersection while they only account for roughly 15 percent of its traffic. The TTI eliminates left-turn movements at the main intersection to help drivers heading straight get through quicker.
• In peak traffic, drivers will reach their destinations in about the same amount of time by doing a u-turn at a TTI as by waiting to turn left at a traditional intersection. During off-peak traffic, the difference is not significant.
• The signals at the main intersection and each u-turn location are coordinated to minimize the amount of time that drivers wait.
• Not only will the TTI improve traffic flow now, it is meant to accommodate future growth. Drivers are projected to wait nearly three minutes longer at the intersection by the year 2040 if no improvement is made.

Other intersection improvements that match the benefits of the TTI would require about 20 feet of additional property. Because the TTI requires less property to build, it is the only intersection design that could prevent the relocation of four-to-five businesses.

Traditional intersection improvements would likely have required the relocation of Firestone, Mad Greek and Emissions Plus. Traditional improvements would also likely impact Zions Bank, Taqueria El Rey, the Valley Bowling Lanes parking lot and the parking lot of the shopping center on the southwest corner of the intersection.

The TTI does not require the relocation of any businesses but Firestone is still in the negotiation process. The TTI does require minimal strip property acquisitions from the intersection's surrounding properties.

Because the TTI requires less property and fewer business relocations, its price tag is significantly lower than a traditional intersection improvement. The project team estimated that a traditional intersection improvement would cost close to $5 million while the TTI will cost less than $1.5 million.

• It eliminates left-turns, which typically cause the most severe accidents at intersections.
• It also reduces congestion to decrease the number of rear-end collisions at the intersection and keep traffic from backing up into nearby intersections.
• Some drivers already make u-turns to avoid waiting to turn left at the intersection. The TTI provides protected signals at the locations where drivers already make u-turns.
• Currently, drivers are required to find gaps in traffic to make left-turns into business and school areas. The TTI will provide protected, signalized u-turns so drivers can more safely make a u-turn and turn right into those areas.
• In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration reported that 30 percent fewer accidents occur at TTIs and similar intersection designs than at traditional intersections.

• UDOT worked with Granite School District and Kearns Junior High School to allocate the safest walking routes and crosswalk locations for pedestrians.
• The TTI has shorter pedestrian crossing times and distances at the main intersection than other intersection options because the crosswalks are shorter.
• Vehicles do not turn left through the main intersection's crosswalks, which reduces the number of vehicle-pedestrian conflicts.
• The TTI concept improves the safety of students who cross the street near Kearns Junior High by signalizing the crosswalks at Sam's Boulevard and 4015 West.
• During busy traffic times, the signals at the u-turns will allow drivers to focus more on pedestrians and less on finding gaps in traffic to turn left.
• The u-turn location by Kearns Junior High will see about two more vehicles per minute during peak traffic, however, students will have the option to cross more safely if they follow the pedestrian signals.
• Instead of having to watch and find gaps in traffic to cross, the signals will give students controlled, reliable crossing areas with less potential for vehicle conflicts.
• UDOT will continue to work with Kearns Junior High School to educate students and parents about how the TTI will work and the importance of crossing safely.
• UDOT plans to widen the sidewalks on 5400 South and on the west side of 4015 West from less than four feet wide to a minimum of six feet wide to make walking paths safer for pedestrians.

UDOT just opened a TTI in November 2011, in Draper, Utah on 12300 South and State Street/Minuteman Drive. Similar concepts have been implemented successfully in other states, including Michigan and Texas, and internationally. The TTI concept is often referred to as a "Michigan u-turn."