Salt Lake City

Transportation

801-535-6630 | transportation@slcgov.com

McClelland Trail and Neighborhood Street Livability Improvements

A photo of the McClelland Trail traffic calming.

McClelland Trail and Neighborhood Street Livability Improvements

Background

The McClelland Trail is an existing and proposed low-stress walking and bicycling route following the Jordan and Salt Lake Canal from 9th & 9th to the Brickyard Plaza commercial area. Currently, the trail exists only from 800 South to 2100 South, built in 2016, and is comprised of off-street paved pathways over the canal and on-street neighborhood byways on low-speed and low-volume streets.

This project seeks to achieve two goals on Harrison, Browning, Roosevelt, Emerson, Kensington, and Bryan Avenues, from 1100 to 1300 East: (1) slow automobile traffic, from current speeds of 26 to 33 mph to below 25 mph, and (2) improve the comfort and safety of six McClelland Trail crossings.

Other Area Projects

In addition to the McClelland Trail and Neighborhood Street Livability Improvements project, there are several other related projects nearby:

Kensington Avenue Neighborhood Byway – in design with expected construction in 2024

1100 East Reconstruction – being reconstructed concurrent with this project

Final Design

The Salt Lake City Transportation and Engineering Divisions have prepared the traffic calming designs for the McClelland Trail crossings and the six streets in this project area: Harrison, Browning, Roosevelt, Emerson, Kensington, and Bryan Avenues (1100 to 1300 East).

These designs are based on feedback from you and your neighbors (viewable in the accordion below), collected over the last several years, as well as design tests (with orange cones) on several streets. Most designs reduce the availability of on-street parking and may alter where trash cans can be placed in front of a few homes per street (see sheets 2-7 below). No raised designs, such as speed bumps or raised crosswalks are included.

Who do I contact if I have questions on trash pick-up or cart placement?

Please contact the Waste and Recycling Division at slcwasteandrecycling@slcgov.com or call 801-535-6999 for proper trash cart placement or service issues.

McClelland Trail Traffic Calming Design

Feedback from 2021 and Draft Design

Thank you to everyone who engaged with us on the McClelland Trail and Neighborhood Street Livability Improvement project in 2020 and 2021. The Salt Lake City Transportation and Engineering Divisions have prepared draft traffic calming designs for the McClelland Trail crossings and the six streets in this project area: Harrison, Browning, Roosevelt, Emerson, Kensington, and Bryan Avenues (1100 to 1300 East).

These designs are based on feedback from you and your neighbors (viewable in the accordion below), collected over the last three years, as well as design tests (with orange cones) on several streets. Most designs reduce the availability of on-street parking and may alter where trash cans can be placed in front of a few homes per street (see sheets 2-7 below). No raised designs, such as speed bumps or raised crosswalks, were proposed.

Why haven’t any raised traffic calming designs been approved?

Although one of the popular traffic calming design from last August’s survey responses, (1) raised traffic calming cannot be installed on parts of streets steeper than 8%, restricting their implementation to only the lower slopes of the streets in question; (2) they tend to have a significant impact on speeds where installed, but result in many people speeding up quickly immediately after passing them; and, (3) they tend to be the most polarizing type of traffic calming.

McClelland Trail Traffic Calming Draft Designs

To view the draft traffic calming designs in full screen, click here.

August 2020 Survey's Feedback Report

Feedback we received from you and your neighbors:

Project Background

Project Background

This constituent-requested CIP project seeks to achieve two goals on Harrison, Browning, Roosevelt, Emerson, Kensington, and Bryan Avenues, from 1100 to 1300 East: (1) slow automobile traffic, from current speeds of 26 to 33 mph to below 25 mph, and (2) improve the comfort and safety of six McClelland Trail crossings.

There are several ways to accomplish these goals (see toolbox link at bottom of page). Cheaper but less effective options include signs and education. More effective options that fit within the project budget include physical changes to the design of the street, such as curb extensions, small medians, speed humps, and raised crosswalks. (For your reference, there are similar designs on Hollywood Avenue, between 900 and 1100 East.)

The 2019 data, verified by previous years’ data from the past decade, reveal that speeding is an issue on all six streets, and especially on the wider streets. Street width, length, and steepness contribute to motor vehicle speeds higher than the 25 mph speed limit. Regular speeds range from 26-27 mph on Roosevelt Avenue to 32-33 mph on Harrison, Browning, and Kensingston Avenues. The wider the street, typically the higher the speeds.

Timeline

Timeline

With community support, changes will be built in 2022. Funding was successfully secured through a neighborhood/constituent application to the City’s 2019 CIP program, supporting community-initiated projects.

  • December 2018 – Residents submitted a funding application with 95 letters of support from residents; businesses; Emerson Elementary PTA, parents, and students; and the East Liberty Park Community Organization. The application requested funding to slow traffic and improve McClelland Trail crossings through physical street changes.
  • Early spring 2019 – The Community Development and Capital Improvement Programs’ (CDCIP) citizen-led advisory board recommended the funding application to the Mayor.
  • May 2019 – Mayor Biskupski included the CDCIP board’s recommendation for full project funding in the recommended 2019-2020 budget.
  • Summer 2019 – The Salt Lake City Council approved the 2019-2020 budget and approved full funding for this project.  Depending on needs and funding availability, funding would support changes at up to 18 locations, or about three per street.
  • November 2019 – The Salt Lake City Transportation Division collected traffic data.
  • April 2020 – Early planning with volunteer residents from each project street. Discussions included project and street history, and a toolbox of potential speed reducing changes.
  • June to July 2020 – In-person “Neighbor Walks” advertised and held separately on each of the six streets. City staff and fellow neighbors learned more about each street, their unique and shared qualities, their residents, and about the project itself. Attendees expressed their ideas and critiques. Staff heard voices for and against the project.
  • August 2020 – Community survey collected feedback about what was desired / not desired.
  • December 2020 – Design tests on Harrison, Roosevelt, and Kensington Avenues.
  • Spring/Summer 2022 – Salt Lake City Transportation and Engineering staff create proposed designs for 11 locations.



For more project information, please contact Jeff Gulden