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Turning Traffic into Opportunity

By: Kylee Landgren Norton

Mayor Russ Wall personally believes that “the current increase in traffic should not be seen as a limitation. Rather, it should be viewed as an opportunity.” Like Taylorsville, the residential and commercial areas of neighboring cities have also been growing. Taylorsville is a unique city because it sits right in the center of the Salt Lake Valley. Essentially, this means that all those who live west or south of Taylorsville have to travel through the town to get to other various locations along the Wasatch Front. Regarding the changes to the once quiet farming community of Taylorsville, Mayor Wall put it quite honestly, stating that “the traffic is coming—we can’t stop it, so we have a choice. We can embrace it and channel the traffic to create a positive opportunity, or we can ignore it and watch as the city is overrun.” Both Taylorsville residents and City administrators reaffirm that they are optimistic about this change. They do not see the traffic as a dilemma. Rather, the traffic is considered to be a one-way route for innovations in developing new road structures and building better businesses and revitalizing the community. More importantly, residents see the road improvements as an essential key for creating a safer community.

When it comes to road developments in Taylorsville, the Utah Department of Transportation is excited about the possibilities for growth. Adan Carrillo, Public Information Officer with UDOT says that although there is much work to be done “Taylorsville is lucky they have elected officials with foresight to plan for both current and future growth.”

John Taylor, City Engineer, reports that there are currently several projects in Taylorsville that help to achieve the goals of safety, convenience, and economic stability. Priority projects for the City of Taylorsville include: continuous flow intersections at 6200 South Redwood, 5400 South Redwood, 4700 South Bangerter, and 5400 South Bangerter; reversible flex lanes coming to 5400 South between Bangerter Highway and Redwood Road; and various pedestrian bridges. “All of these plans have been established and developed to make life more convenient and accessible,” says Taylor.

By recognizing that Taylorsville is rapidly growing, City officials and UDOT have been able to be proactive, thus planning for the growth rather than being forced to adjust to an unexpected change. “Historically there has been a lot of focus on transportation needs in [Taylorsville],” says Taylor. “There are a lot of reasons for this, but the main reason is because of the location of Taylorsville. Fortunately, UDOT recognizes that we are a major corridor in Salt Lake Valley, so we have joined with UDOT on many of the current and future projects.”

CONTINUOUS FLOW INTERSECTIONS (CFI)

Taylorsville is unique in that it has two freeway off-ramps in the eleven square miles of the city. These I-215 off-ramps often become highly congested during peak travel times.  To deal with this unnecessary congestion, continuous flow intersections are currently being installed in several locations throughout Taylorsville. These innovative intersections serve to increase traffic flow, making travel easy, convenient, and most importantly, safe.

Prior to constructing the continuous flow intersections, residents would call Bangerter Highway “the great wall” because they always were delayed by traffic. According to City management, the continuous flow intersections at 6200 South Redwood, 5400 South Redwood, 4700 South Bangerter, and 5400 South Bangerter have been designed first and foremost to help with both time and safety issues.

Before the changes to the road design, the 6200 South and Redwood Road intersection was one of the most dangerous intersections in the state. Statistical reports show that it averaged at least one vehicle accident per week.

The new continuous flow intersection, designed as a hybrid and innovative road system, is now functioning as Taylorsville’s greatest success story because accidents have drastically decreased. Since Taylorsville has seen such an increase in road safety at the 6200 South and Redwood Road intersection, they will be constructing a similar intersection this spring at 5400 South and Redwood Road.

                Apart from increased safety, there are other benefits that residents will profit from                   with the new intersection design. City Administrator John Morgan states that “when traffic begins to flow steadily through the city, decreasing the stop-and-go momentum, residents will be more willing to take the time to visit shopping and entertainment establishments, thus increasing the economic stability of the city.” Sales taxes in Taylorsville help pay for needed municipal services, such as parks and recreation and law enforcement. Ultimately, an increase in sales tax revenue through shopping locally will help ensure lower property taxes for all residents.

Brandon Weston, project manager with UDOT, states that, “rather than following a one-size-fits-all style, UDOT has designed the new continuous flow intersections specifically to suit the needs of Taylorville.” He continues by verifying that “the technology is the most modern of its time, and the intersections cost nearly seventy-five percent less than the continuous flow intersection on 3500 South.” Regarding the progress of the construction, Weston proudly reports that “by the end of summer 2011, all four major continuous flow intersections, including 4700 South Bangerter and 5400 South Bangerter, will be in full operation, thus increasing both traffic capacity and safety in Taylorsville.”

  The engineering of reversible flex lanes is essentially very simple, and flex lanes continually prove to be safe and effective. “A gantry, or overhead lane indicator, measuring 30 x 30 inches functions as a driving coach,” explains Weston. The lane change never occurs at peak periods, so it will not cause confusion. A yellow flashing X will appear before the lane changes, and since this change is not instantaneous, drivers will have plenty of time to switch lanes.

                The reversible flex lanes coming to 5400 South between Bangerter Highway and Redwood Road will add capacity to the already existing infrastructure. The 5400 South flex lane will create an additional lane of traffic heading east during heavy traffic hours of the morning, and an additional lane heading west during the evening traffic hours. Studies have shown that this stretch of road is one of the most congested areas in all of Utah. However, the traffic is only problematic during peak travel times. John Taylor notes that “thanks to new innovations in road technology, Taylorsville will be able to install flex lanes that will solve this problem with without having to acquire new properties.” This solution brings relief to many business owners in the surrounding area because they will not need to worry about relocating due to city road planning. In fact, Taylor states “that the City will do everything in their power to make sure that business owners are not negatively impacted by this construction.” 

The original plan for the flex lanes prohibited drivers from turning left on 5400 South, which would have caused major problems for consumers and businesses because it would be highly difficult to enter many of the popular shopping areas. Taylorsville officials and engineers knew that this plan would create conflict, so they refused to accept the proposal and urged UDOT to devise another solution. “The result is a flex lane that will allow left-hand turns, thus allowing local stores and facilities to go about business as usual,” explains Morgan

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES

A major concern for the residents of Taylorsville is that pedestrians will be at risk because of the changes to traffic patterns. This concern was also shared by City Administration. Mayor Wall knew that it was essential to guarantee that residents, especially school-aged children, would be able to cross these busy intersections without any risk to their safety. In order to fulfill this promise, the City of Taylorsville has installed two pedestrian bridges near Calvin Smith Elementary and Bennion Junior High. Recently at a City meeting, Mayor Wall explained that the two overpass bridges recently completed near Calvin Smith and Bennion were built to prevent accidents. He noted that normally pedestrian bridges such as these include a memorial to a child who lost his/her life due to a passing vehicle. Fortunately, because Taylorsville has been proactively searching for a solution to the traffic, these bridges are not being built as a memorial. Rather, the bridges stand to prevent any such accidents from ever occurring.

CAPITALIZING ON CONGESTED ROADS

The City of Taylorsville is growing, and the changes have been embraced by the residents who love all that Taylorsville has to offer. They are certain that this continuous growth will only bring prosperity and success to both current and future residents. Despite the inconveniences of today’s road construction projects, Taylorsville residents are among the fortunate who have found themselves in a position where they can solve traffic problems and increase business, thus enhancing the overall stability of their thriving community.