Sept. 6, 2000
For the past several years
we've done many reports
about traffic jams in the Salt
Lake Valley.
In the spirit of
being fair, those folks living in
Tooele County are saying, "Hey, what about us?"
Keith McCord has their story.
It is NOT I-15, or 7th East in Salt Lake City. It's the
morning rush on Highway 36, between the city of
Tooele and Interstate 80. Things have really changed
out here in the last few years.
MCCORD: "TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO YOU HAD THREE
TRAFFIC LIGHTS?
MAYOR: "RIGHT."
MCCORD:"TODAY YOU HAVE...?
MAYOR:"THREE TRAFFIC LIGHTS!"
MCCORD:"AND THE POPULATION HAS...?"
MAYOR:"THE POPULATION HAS ALMOST
TRIPLED SINCE THEN."
Most of the population and development has occured
on the north End of Tooele. New houses, new stores,
but the same old road!
At newly constructed
intersections, there are no traffic signals, creating
dangerous scenerios for motorists.
Rick Bell/Tooele resident: "THE
TRAFFIC VOLUME IN TOOELE IS SO
HEAVY, THAT TO TRY AND MAKE LEFT
HAND TURNS ANYWHERE IN THE CITY, IS
IMPOSSIBLE."
Rick Bell is on a citizens committee in Tooele working
to make Highway 36 safer. He has first hand
knowlege of how bad things are out here.
BELL: "IN 1997, MY NIECE MANDY
SHIELDS WAS KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT
JUST SOUTH OF HERE. IN '98 MY
GRANDPARENTS WERE HIT HEAD ON, JUST
BEHIND US, I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN HIT
IN THIS STATE ROAD."
For the most part, Highway 36 is still the same old
country road that it's been for years. It's primarily a
two lane highway; with a 60-mile per hour speed limit,
and 25,000 vehicles travel on it daily.
The city and
many of its citizens say it's time for some highway
funds to be sent out here to put in more traffic signals,
widen the road, and add turn lanes.
MCCORD: "THIS IS A CLASSIC CASE OF
GROWING PAINS?"
MAYOR ROBERTS:"IT
IS. AND WE'VE BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT
FOR A LONG TIME, SO WE ARE GOING
THROUGH SOME GROWING PAINS. SO WE
JUST NEED TO FIND A BETTER WAY TO
GET PEOPLE IN AND OUT OF TOWN."
Some encouraging news. UDOT has agreed to go
ahead and add some traffic signals on the north side of
town. The city has requested at least seven new
signals.
But as far as widening the road goes, getting
the money for that could take awhile.
