ELECTIONS, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT
Utah Legislature moves to limit road projects in Salt Lake City for 1 year
Feb 22, 2025, 8:00 AM
Traffic moves along State Route 201 during rush hour in Salt Lake City on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A new addition to a major transportation bill in the Utah Legislature is raising questions about what it means for Salt Lake City and its ability to do any road projects over the next year.
Related: UDOT receives nearly $1.4 billion for Utah County freeway-related projects
SB195, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, puts in place a temporary stop on any road projects in Utah’s capital city that would reduce the flow of traffic.
Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, told reporters Friday it’s done with downtown redevelopment in mind. Adams mentioned 300 West in particular and the need to determine how that road fits into overall plans to redevelop downtown Salt Lake.
That plan from Smith Entertainment Group proposes to build a “sports, entertainment, culture and convention district” around a remodeled Delta Center.
“We need to put pause for a second, looking to see how those roads are being affected, and see how we can continue to get traffic through downtown as we try to figure out the Delta Center and the new stadium for a hockey team there,” Adams said.
Salt Lake City is the only city impacted by this part of the bill, which would prohibit certain road projects from May 2025 through March 2026.
In a statement late Friday, Salt Lake City spokesperson Andrew Wittenberg said, “We are currently working with the bill sponsor to try to address the broad implications of this provision.”
Related: Northern Utah road construction projects wrapping up in 2025
City officials and Harper, the bill sponsor, met Friday afternoon.
“We had a very productive initial meeting with Salt Lake City and other stakeholders to better understand each other’s perspectives,” Harper said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing these productive discussions next week to determine the best path forward.”
Sen. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, voted with other Democrats against the bill but was not especially critical of it when speaking with reporters Friday.
“I do think there has to be thoughtfulness, and I do think that the state has a role to weigh in on this,” Plumb said.
SB195 has passed the Senate and now sits with the House of Representatives. No committee hearing there has been scheduled yet. The legislative session ends in two weeks.
