Dec. 6, 2024

Final plans for the reconstruction of 600/700 North are complete, and Salt Lake City is excited to unveil them at an open house next week.

The public is invited to see the plans and talk to the project team at an Open House from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 10, at Backman Elementary School, 601 N. 1500 West. Children’s activities will be available, and dinner will be provided by the El Jaripeo food truck. Spanish-speaking team members will be on hand to answer questions.

Rebuilding 600/700 North will improve safety, comfort, and mobility and maintain the life of the roadway to support thriving Westside communities.

“Reconstructing 600/700 North provides something for everyone, including families who walk to school, friends biking to the Jordan River Trail, or commuters using cars or public transit,” said Kyle Cook, Salt Lake City Transportation Engineer. “The new road maintains all four lanes of traffic and adds high-quality features like above curb bike lanes, signalized crosswalks, and upgraded traffic signals to reduce congestion and improve travel.”

In addition to convenience, the improvements prioritize safety for all corridor users. The 600/700 North corridor has more than 21,000 vehicle trips daily. After studying crash data, two trends stood out as opportunities for safety upgrades. Data shows that intersections account for 75% of crashes, with angled crashes making up 57% of all incidents. With this in mind, the design team looked at solutions to bring both numbers down.

“Making roads as safe as possible for everyone is our top priority,” said Megan Leether, Salt Lake City Engineer. “During construction, the road will be narrowed with the addition of a center median alongside chicanes–strategic curves in the roadway–to create a more predictable environment that has the benefit of slowing down speeding drivers. Separating cyclists from the road by putting them next to the sidewalk, not traffic, and adding high-visibility, signalized crosswalks are additional safety upgrades set to debut next year.”

Efforts to bring this project to fruition have been underway since 2020 when the City engaged residents and stakeholders in early planning efforts. Since then, a second round of community feedback, including a survey and open house, was completed and is reflected in the project’s final design.

“It’s not often that we can do almost everything the community is asking for on a road project, but the 600/700 North rebuild gives us the opportunity to build the best of all options and invest in the community now and for generations to come,” said Cook.

This meeting will also provide details about the 650 North Jordan River Bridge replacement project. The bridge will be rebuilt starting in 2025. A six- to eight-month road closure and detour are anticipated during this work. For more information about road and bridge projects, contact the project team at 600North@slc.gov and 801-618-1003 or visit www.600NorthSLC.org.