Weird , my comment was blocked.
I said:
Merging onto northbound unimpeded traffic is dangerous. Making the merging lane longer will not fix problem Plus an added expense. Just make the light turn red.This is such an easy fix so why the resistance? Come on.
Speed is too high and has been for too long. The writing on the roadway is very distracting also.
Please revisit and review this intersection. Thank you

It is not clear in the Issue Description what problem is attempting to be addressed by lowering the posted speed limit on Wasatch Blvd. Assuming the issue is about merging with 50 mph traffic, I would advocate adding and lengthening merge lanes instead. Wasatch Blvd (210) is a main road for north/south traffic and should not be treated as a smaller minor road.

Yesterday afternoon riding home with my daughter and moving into the ingress turn lane into Golden Hills Drive, with traffic barreling down from the canyon going north, one car ran right into the turn lane just feet from us, we had not reach the top of the turn lane, if we had been there, it would have been a head on. I don't think I can use that ingress/egress anymore, this is crazy. I am going to train myself to go up through the neighborhood and down to the light on Bengal. Perhaps UDOT needs to make curbs at that intersection to keep the cars going north in their lane.

The issue is the ingress and egress from the neighborhoods east of Wasatch. It is becoming more dangerous to turn both right and left from Wasatch to the Golden Hills subdivision due to the high speeds and amount of traffic. The traffic coming north from Little Cottonwood Canyon no longer needs to stop at the new traffic light and is often exceeding the 50 mph speed limit. It is only a matter of time before there is a serious fatal accident. A lower speed limit through this neighborhood would be a good start to improving the situation.

As for Wasatch being a state road, a state road runs through Wellington west of Price and the speed is reduced in some sections to 30 miles because it is going through a residential area. There is no other way for the residents in neighborhoods adjacent and east of Wasatch to enter or leave their neighborhoods. A high speed highway cannot run through residential neighborhoods. Accommodation for life and safety will have to be made. Better traffic arteries for Sandy and Draper should be on UDOT's agenda.

The Utah Department of Transportation has received your request and we will be looking into the issue. Thank you for taking the time to let us know.

Alicia - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Operations assigned this issue to Kelly Jones

Alicia - UDOT Region 2 Traffic Operations assigned this issue to Tim - UDOT Region 2 Communications

Thank you for your comment. In order for DOT to lower the speed limit is if we do a traffic speed study to see how fast people are going. If, on an average day, speeds are going slower than is posted, then we can consider lowering the speed limit. However, if the speeds are showing that they are higher than what is posted, UDOT will need to raise the speed limit.
If you believe people are speeding, I recommend calling the Police to monitor the area.

Kelly Jones. Well now that is real buck passing and dismissive of all the concerned citizens willing to take the time to comment. So we are just to suck it up and see if someone in our family is killed? Of course they are speeding at certain times of the day. What about the state road through Wellington. That has reduced speed and clearly everyone would go through that residential area at top speed if they were allowed.

Why was my comment blocked?

I am sorry, Mr. Kelly Jones, with all due respect, if drivers are speeding, raising the speed limits is not a viable nor logical solution. This answer does not address safety, nor any of the other prescriptive UDOT criteria for reviewing and adjusting speed limits. https://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=10468406714475616

Based on the criteria established by UDOT on your website, “Consideration may be given for a speed limit below the 85th percentile speed when the 85th percentile speed appears inappropriate based on the following six factors:

1. Road surface characteristics, shoulder condition, grade, alignment, and sight distance.
2. Roadside development, culture, and roadside friction.
3. Safe speeds for curves or hazardous locations within the zone.
4. Pedestrian activity, parking practices, and other traffic.
5. Reported crash experience for the most recent three-year period.
6. Statutory speed limits.”

I believe a 50mph speed limit on this section of road is inappropriate based on the above. Specifically:

1. In the winter the road surface is often covered by snow/ice. Due to weather, grades, and curves the sight distance is shortened. There is also frequently wildlife on this section of road.

2. Regarding roadside development, this arterial road passes through a large residential community that only has ingress/egress via Wasatch Blvd. All schools, parks, libraries, businesses and services are located west of Wasatch. Without over/underpasses to bypass Wasatch Blvd., the residents of the communities east of Wasatch rely on safe access in order to reach essential services

3. The turn lane onto Golden Hills aligns directly with oncoming traffic, which represents a hazardous location.

4. There is little pedestrian activity due to a lack of continuous pedestrian way. However this section of road is heavily used by cyclists and the city has determined that it is unsafe with the current 50mph speed limit. As the city has made it a priority to encourage pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities, the speed limit should be lowered to reflect this shared use.
The Cottonwood Heights Bicycle and Trails Master Plan specifically calls attention to this issue:
“The existing Category 2 bicycle lane on Wasatch Boulevard should be upgraded to better accommodate for bicyclist safety. Category 2 bicycle lanes are adequate on roads with speed limits of 25-40 miles per hour. The speed limit on Wasatch Boulevard is currently 50 miles per hour. With only a narrow striped bicycle lane located directly adjacent to the travel lanes, this creates an uninviting and potentially unsafe conditions.”

5. With the recent changes to the High T intersection at Wasatch and LCC data from the prior 3 years may not be a reliable indicator of present conditions and dangers. However, according to data from UDOT (http://crashmapping.utah.gov), in the 3 year period between 1/01/15 - 1/01/18 there were 79 accidents on the approx. 2.4 mile section of Wasatch Blvd. between BCC and LCC, 22 of which resulted in injuries. With the new free flow traffic exiting the canyon at higher average speeds, in conjunction with the new merge pattern, I would expect that the total number of accidents on this section will increase and that higher average speeds could result in a greater number of injuries.

I do not believe that the residents living in the communities east of Wasatch are trying to be unreasonable, difficult, or obstructionist. We rely heavily on this stretch or road to access local services, to commute to work and school, and to access the canyons for recreation. As heavy daily users of this route we too share a desire for quick and efficient travel, however many of us have safety concerns with respect to the new intersection and resulting travel speeds on this section of road. As a concerned resident, I am interested in participating in the process and working with UDOT to address these concerns.

UDOT needs to reduce the speed limit to 30-40 mph along the section of Wasatch Blvd from the new traffic light north to Bengal or Fort Union. This area has many connecting side streets and driveways and is extremely dangerous for the neighborhood access. Why is it that Wasatch Blvd south of the traffic light to 9400 has a lower speed limit and this section of Wasatch has fewer connecting streets and driveways. At the Cottonwood Hts open house about Wasatch Blvd on 3/19/18, one of the most frequent requests from the attendees was a request to reduce the speed limit on this section of Wasatch Blvd. The issue has gotten more critical with the new High T intersection that doesn't require northbound traffic from Little Cottonwood Canyon Road to stop periodically. Something needs to be done before there are serious or fatal accidents.

The issue is still outstanding. The person from UDOT who responded clearly is not familiar with the area and the traffic. Granted there are problems with heavy ski traffic at times, but this traffic is bumper to bumper and increasing the speed limit will not help. The neighborhoods in this part of Wasatch Blvd need help to make it safer to get in and out of the area and decreasing the speed limit on Wasatch would help greatly. Why is it that the speed limit on Wasatch south of the new traffic light is lower than this part of Wasatch? Did the developer of Givenchy pay for this!?!

The speed limit in this area needs to be lowered for the safety of all. Since traffic heading north from Little Cottonwood Canyon doesn't have to stop at the Wasatch traffic light, the traffic is often travelling over the 50 mph speed limit and it is treacherous to get in and out of the neighborhood to the east of Wasatch. Already there have been accidents in this area. Do we have to wait until there is fatal accident to make a change?

Thank you Eric Kraan, Misrael and M Jones for continuing to work on this issue. You make excellent points.

This is still an issue of major concern to the neighborhood. UDOT should also review the comments in the 8958 Wasatch Blvd traffic signals clickit post. There are many more people in the area requesting your consideration to REDUCE THE SPEED LIMIT ON WASATCH!!!

MIsreal's past comment outlining the steps regarding speed limits was very good. By law UDOT must follow these guidelines and have a full engineering study prior to changing speed limits. The last speed study at this location was done in 2010, and it shows that the 85th percentile speeds are at or above the posted speeds, and that the crash rate is considered low in comparison to the average crash rates for other Urban Principal Arterials. Therefore the speed limits were not modified (raised) at that time.

Looking at the current situation, there have been some modifications to the corridor, and as well there is an environmental document currently being worked on that will present some alternatives for how the road will look and function in the future and as well another project is in scoping for adding a northbound travel lane in the section from Bengal Boulevard to SR-209. With all this occurring it could change driver behavior along the corridor. It would be good to wait for these improvements to be completed prior to modifying the speed limit so that we can account for any roadway modifications.
These projects will take some time, (possibly a couple of years) and I know there are concerns now. However, It would be wise to wait for the improvements because a study now will likely not show a speed reduction is required, and an additional study will likely have to be done after all of the improvements anyway. As our traffic volumes increase, drivers will need to be more attentive, and our state routes will become even more important to get people around efficiently. We will ask the City for increased enforcement now and work diligently to make the corridor as safe as possible. We will plan to do a speed study in the future after our projects are complete and this corridor is in a more finalized state. We appreciate your interest and take your comments seriously. Thank you.

Marge, thank you for this update.

I have researched and prepared an answer for this click fix and am closing it out.

Marge, although I appreciate the response, I am NOT satisfied with it. It is not fair to the safety of the residents in this area to simply say... “wait two years, then we ‘may’ do something about your safety while you travel to and from your homes.” I guarantee if you lived in these neighborhoods you wouldn’t see it the way you have outlined. Having more patrols isn’t the problem. When you have continual traffic going the posted speed around blind corners, it’s a problem! Patrols only work when drivers are going above the speed limit. So... while I appreciate the response, I am reopening the problem because it still exists and it still a CRITICAL life and safety issue that I don’t feel UDOT is adequately addressing. I would like to propose UDOT lowers the speed limit immediately BEFORE ski season starts, the do the study when the lowered speed limit is in place. This seems the more prudent method to ensure the safety of the residents that live in the surrounding neighborhoods. Anything less shows negligence on UDOT’s part!

Marge... another question for you... if the last study was completed in 2010, how is UDOT even coming up with a proposal for the corridor off of data that is 8 years old? Isn’t a new study warranted before making proposed changes, then an evaluation after the changes? If not, what data are you using to make the proposed Wasatch corridor changes? I’m asking this because I am highly concerned about the merge lane being extended even closer to the Golden shills exit than it already is. It was already a t-bone accident waiting to happen without the extension. I can’t imagine any study showing this was a wise idea with speed limits of 50+ mph with limited visibility. Is there a way to see all of the data that UDOT is referencing when they make these decisions? SR-209 has blind corners just like the one at Kings Hill and Wasatch, but they have a reduced speed limit of 40. Why is it that State Route 209 has a reduction, but the blind corner at Kings Hill Dr and Wasatch (SR-210) only has a “recommended” speed reduction, which carries no weight of enforcement behind it? Again, I really appreciate your response and interaction as we try to get this problem resolved to ensure the safety of the area residents. Any detailed data you can provide is helpful because the frustration of residents as we near the nightmare traffic of ski season is helpful.

mkhn...I agree. There must be some lawful mechanism that can lower the speed limit. Just because everyone speeds does not seem a reason to raise it, exactly the opposite. As for law enforcement. I've never seen one on Wasatch. This is a residential area. There is a state road outside of Price through Wellsville or whatever the name. The speed limit is lowered there to 30 I believe, otherwise they would have car going 80 miles an hour through their little town. The speed limit on Wasatch can be lowered if there is a will to do it at UDOT. We will be dealing with a mass of speeders down from the canyon and the poor dead wildlife again this winter.

Could we have a stoplight? Stoplights are not unusual being a block or few blocks apart. Something must be done. Not only are t bone wrecks a risk, so are head on wrecks. I don't know if they will move the road cones at some point. Right now with them keeping the northbound traffic to east side of the street is a comfort. I and my daughter had a very near miss head on at that corner. The oncoming northbound car swerved at the last minute.

I just want to reiterate that UDOT has to follow the law when setting speed limits, so it is not something we can just modify. Our state law sets speed limits based on the 85th percentile speed. Crash data is also used in the analysis to meet the law. To change this law citizens can talk with their representatives and do it through the political process. Increased enforcement can at least make it so people don't speed over the posted speed limits. It is not a perfect answer, but to stay within Utah law, it is how UDOT must approach setting speed limits.

I give up, UDOT doesn't get it.

M Jones. UDOT gets it, they don't care. They are going to impose their will on us. These websites are just to make the public think they have some interest in our concerns. They have never answered my question about the state road through Wellsville outside Price. It has very reduced speed because it goes through a residential area.

Thanks for fixing this request!

UDOT (Marge)... I am so confused. When I call my State representatives, they don’t know anything about how to lower the speed limit. When I call my city representatives, they tell us they have already spoken to you about this and still NOTHING changes. Then I find out that there hasn’t been a speed study in a ridiculous amount of years. Back when the speed study was done, there wasn’t even a third of the traffic there is now. So... what I want to know is the EXACT step-by-step process we need to follow, including names of people we need to speak with to get thus changed IMMEDIATELY so we don’t have to deal with this ridiculous health, life and safety issue all through yet another ski season. This is beyond ridiculous to go almost an entire year without any concrete answers from UDOT! Is it going to take someone getting killed, a lawsuit, or the media to step in before something changes?

Btw... I have contacted the news agencies tonight to see if we can start shedding a bit more light on this problem. I think over a year of dealing with the nightmare of the High-T intersection, increased traffic, and extremely high rates of speed without a solid resolution to such a dangerous situation is enough! If any other users would like to contact me directly so we can join together to fight these corridor issues, please feel free to contact me at mh4121junk@yahoo.com.

I didn't make the statement "Thanks for fixing this request" Such an odd website. I apparently asked to reopen and the website put up the post for me. Very strange! mkhn, yes I will contact you when I get a moment. I am working on another dismaying issue with Cottonwood Heights, the ADU issue. It is a high density proposal that we fought all year at city council. The city has brought it back to the agenda. We can't seem to put a stake in that @#$%. It another monster that will increase traffic, accidents and speeding and dump more people onto Wasatch.

Hello All,

Below is the language from the UDOT Government code as found on the State of Utah website indicating how speed limits shall be determined:

41-6a-602. Speed limits established on state highways.
(1)
(a) The Department of Transportation shall determine the reasonable and safe speed limit for each highway or section of highway under its jurisdiction.
(b) For each highway or section of highway, each speed limit shall be based on a traffic engineering and safety study consistent with the requirements and recommendations in the most current version of the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices."
(c) The traffic engineering and safety studies shall include:
(i) the design speed;
(ii) prevailing vehicle speeds;
(iii) accident history;
(iv) highway, traffic, and roadside conditions; and
(v) other highway safety factors.

Then, looking at the FHWA website recommendations and the Utah Manual of Traffic Control Devices, UDOT sets the speed limits based on the 85th percentile. See language from FHWA below:

Used extensively in the traffic engineering field, the 85th
percentile speed is based on the premise that the majority of
drivers choose reasonable speeds for given road conditions
and should be accommodated.

UDOT understands your concerns, but given the law, accident history, roadside conditions, etc. of this corridor we cannot change the speed limit at this time. Evaluations can be done in the future if significant changes to the roadway are made. We have looked at accident history and do not see that we are having more crashes than previously. I hope this provides you some additional information as to why we cannot, by law, modify the speed limit. We are required to meet the 85th percentile speed. Thank you for your inquiries.

Saw a news snippet last night on the work recently and currently being done on Bangerter State Hiway. UDOT put up chain link fence in some areas and the homes are naked to the roadway. They have a speedway practically in their backdoor. Nothing but a chain link fence in some areas. They interviewed a home owner, who sounded very sad. It looks like Wasatch will be the destruction of some off our homes and quiet enjoyment. Wasatch is slated for 5 lanes. The UDOT post above means there will not be a reduction in speed and likely an increase.

Marge... thank you for your detailed response. I appreciate it. However, just because the reported accidents have not increased, doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous and doesn’t mean there aren’t repeated, near misses on a daily basis. A speed study done 8 years ago is not sufficient to make this determination! As residents, I believe it is our right to demand a more recent speed study. If you lived in this area, you would understand that the traffic increase from eight years ago is extensive. We can’t be working off of old data to make these kind of determinations that affect the residents in this area. You mentioned that we need to contact our representatives. However, when I contact them, they shrug their shoulders and have no idea how to proceed. So... I would like to know detailed steps that we, as residents, must take to see this decision overturned for the safety of all those that reside and are FORCED to use this road to even leave their neighborhood. I’m reopening this request to get this additional information so I know how to proceed.

UDOT doesn't care about the neighborhood traffic. Close this issue.