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1300 South (State St to 700 E) Community Livability Project

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Overview

The 1300 South Community Livability Project was completed in 2013 to increase livability, safety, and mobility for all roadway users. The project transformed 1300 South between State Street and 700 East into a complete street with one vehicle lane in each direction, a continuous two-way left-turn lane, and bike lanes. The project supports the community’s desire for a bike route on 1300 South and to improve crosswalk safety as outlined in the 2005 Central City Community Master Plan.

A picture of 1300 South before and after a lane reconfiguration project.

Traffic volume and speed data

When traffic volumes are within a certain range, converting a road from four lanes to three generally has little impact on how much traffic it carries. Traffic on 1300 South fell within this range, so we expected minimal change. This type of conversion often lowers travel speeds, as drivers must follow the pace of the lead vehicle without an extra lane to pass slower traffic.

A table comparing traffic volume and speeds on 1300 South before and after the "Community Livability Project". The data shows that while the number of cars on the road remained similar, vehicle speeds dropped significantly after the project was completed. For instance, at the location near 350 East, the average speed fell from roughly 40 mph down to 29 mph.

More data

Crash analysis

A simple before-and-after crash study was conducted for 1300 South between State Street and 700 East, comparing crash data from the four years before and after the project. Crashes during construction (August–September 2013) were excluded, as they don’t reflect normal conditions.

Overall, the average number of crashes in the four years after the project was 27% lower than in the four years before.

Before and after years for the study are as follows:

“Year -4” = August 1, 2009 – July 31, 2010
“Year -3” = August 1, 2010 – July 31, 2011
“Year -2” = August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2012
“Year -1” = August 1, 2012 – July 31, 2013
“Year +1” = October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2014
“Year +2” = October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015
“Year +3” = October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016
“Year +4” = October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017

A color-coded table listing monthly car crashes on 1300 South from 2009 to 2017. The data groups the years into "Before" (2009–2012), "Construction" (2013), and "After" (2014–2017) phases to help compare safety over time. The table shows that crash numbers remained consistently low throughout the entire period, mostly ranging between zero and five incidents per month.
A summary of the 1300 South Community Livability Project (State Street to 700 East). The project reconfigured the street from four lanes to three, adding a center turn lane and bike lanes. Data shows this successfully calmed traffic, with average speeds dropping significantly (e.g., from 39 mph to 29 mph) while maintaining similar traffic volumes.
A bar chart titled "Crash Totals by Year" comparing accident data on 1300 South for four years before and four years after the project. The chart highlights a clear improvement in safety: the average number of annual crashes dropped from 36 before the project to 26 after the project, representing a 27% overall reduction. Crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians remained low.
A line graph titled "Crash Totals by Severity Level" tracking accident outcomes on 1300 South for four years before and four years after the project. The grey line shows that "No Injury" crashes were the most common type, starting at 30 incidents four years prior to the project and dropping to 12 in the first year after completion, before stabilizing around 20. The orange ("Possible Injury") and blue ("Injury") lines indicate that more serious accidents remained consistently low, rarely exceeding 10 incidents per year throughout the entire eight-year period.

Contact us

Dan Bergenthal, Project Manager

Email: [email protected]

Related

SLC Transportation Division
Street projects

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