At a Nov. 19 meeting of the Utah Transportation Commission, state officials voted unanimously to allocate $52 million to traffic flow improvements on Main Street in Logan.
CACHE COUNTY – Thanks to the efforts of local officials here, the Utah Transportation Commission (UTC) has approved $52 million to improve traffic capacity on Main Street in Logan.
Those officials included Cache County Executive David Zook; Logan Mayor Holly Daines; state lawmakers Sen. Chris Wilson (R-District 25) and Rep. Dan Johnson (R-District 4); and, members of the Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization.
“This is a huge step forward toward fixing our Main Street traffic congestion,” Zook said after commissioners voted unanimously to fund Main Street improvements during a Nov. 19 UTC meeting in Moab.
That vote came after Zook and other influential local officials testified at that meeting in an uphill battle to obtain state funding.
During the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers appropriated unprecedented levels of funding for transportation projects.
When the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) published a project list detailing how those funds would be spent, Zook said local officials were disappointed that the Main Street project was not included in that list.
“The (Main Street) project (traffic flow improvements from 1200 South to 2500 North) had previously been listed as the eighth highest-ranked project in the state and the highest-ranked project off the Wasatch Front,” Zook explained.
Zook, Wilson, Johnson and Daines responded to that disappointing news by launching a joint lobbying campaign urging transportation commissioners to take a fresh look at the Main Street project.
At the UTC meeting on Nov. 19, Daines and Zook again emphasized how critical Main Street traffic flow is to Cache Valley’s economy and the area’s ability to accommodate growth.
Zook credits the support of Transportation Commissioner Rhonda R. Menlove and staff members at UDOT for the state’s change of heart regarding the $52 million Main Street Project.
Menlove is a former legislator and university administrator. She served in the Utah House of Representatives for a decade representing District 17, which includes parts of Box Elder, Cache and Tooele counties.
Zook said that UDOT staffers have been working with local officials to explore options for improved traffic flow on Main Street for years.
“The next step in this process will now be to begin an operational and environmental review, which will include a public input process,” Zook explained.
“The goal of those efforts will be to identify one or more solutions to improve traffic flow, while preserving the usability of Main Street for business access and walkability while honoring its historic feel.”