The following are a few excerpts from the Project Concept Report, which the Regional Planning Committee used to approve $3 million of MAG funds for the project. If the project deviates significantly from the Project Scope it will have to go back through the Technical Advisory Committee and be re-approved by the Regional Planning Committee, which consists of all the mayors and county commissioners in Utah County. If they do not accept changes made to the project the $3 million will be allocated to the next eligible project (Springville 1200 W or Mapleton Lateral Canal Trail).
The Purpose of the Project
“The purpose of the project is to construct a raised center median to eliminate left turn movements along the Bulldog Blvd corridor which has a crash rate that is 3 times higher than the state average for roadways of similar functional class and traffic volumes. The corridor has a severe crash rate that is 7.5 times higher than the statewide average for roadways of similar functional class and traffic volume. The project will also eliminate one travel lane in each direction in favor of a protected bicycle lane. There is a significant number of bicycle crashes on the corridor given the lack of adequate bicycle facilities on this important gateway into the BYU campus. The project will provide an important bicycle/pedestrian connection from the Provo River Parkway Trail to the BYU campus.”
First Responders Access
“The project will include traffic cameras, and emergency vehicle preemption which will provide maximum benefit to emergency vehicles and traffic operations along the corridor.
Decreased Auto Crashes
The project will reduce accident severity by eliminating high occurence left turn angle crashes and by separating bikes and peds from vehicle traffic. UDOT Traffic and Safety has evaluated the project and has determined that the project improvements have a total cost/benefit of $4.4 million dollars based on the crash reduction potential of the proposed improvements.
Decreased Congestion
By minimizing the number of driveway accesses, traffic flow along the corridor will improve.
Beautification and Noise Reduction
The project will minimize noise impacts along the corridor adding landscaping features to soften the noise. The project also provides opportunities for landscaping and other treatments that can be incorporated into the drainage system that will improve water quality of storm runoff”
For more information, see this detailed report from Mountainlands Association of Governments
