If you’ve ever gotten on or off Interstate 15 in Salt Lake City, there’s a good chance you’ve used 500 or 600 South.
The city calls them “grand boulevards” and they could become safer for bikers and pedestrians thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Wasatch Front Regional Council.
“This is something that Salt Lake City Transportation has had sort of in the back of our minds for quite some time,” said city transportation lead Lara McLellan.
“We're really grateful to have been awarded that funding and to be able to move forward with this visioning process.”
According to McLellan, the first step is to study what the future of those streets could look like, in particular for Salt Lakers who are getting around on foot or by bike. To bicyclist Dahne Duffy, that’s the right idea because he “would not like to get hit by a car if possible.”
“Just driving downtown, walking downtown and biking downtown, there are always folks who are, you know, running red lights or taking quick turns on a red light or something like that. And it seems like people aren't as aware as they should be, so it's just not a risk I want to take.”
While cyclists like Duffy usually avoid downtown if they can, if streets like the grand boulevards become more bike- and walk-friendly, he’d love to come more often.
“Anytime there's a dedicated bike lane I always feel a little bit better. Especially on [500 and 600 South] because those streets in particular kind of just feel like the Wild West, especially coming off the highway. It's a little scary.”
Duffy isn’t the only one who sees risk for bikers and pedestrians on city streets.
Nonprofit organization Sweet Streets has been a staunch advocate for slower speeds and more friendly streets. The city also responded to concerns over fast driving by lowering the speed limit to 20 miles per hour on over 400 miles of city streets in 2022.
“We're calling them grand boulevards for a reason, right?” McLellan said of this newest project.
“These are entrances to the city for first-time visitors to Salt Lake City. This is maybe the first view that they have. And we want to create a real gateway, a real welcoming experience into the city, while also reminding folks who are in their cars it's time to slow down.”
The overall vision is to create a sprawling network of bike and pedestrian pathways throughout the city. Recent projects like the 9 Line extension on 900 South and the 300 West corridor are examples of reimagined pedestrian infrastructure residents and visitors can use right now.
With Salt Lake City continuing to grow and the state welcoming a new National Hockey League team and a possible second Winter Olympics in 2034, McLellan said the momentum is there to get more ambitious projects underway and “implement change sooner rather than later.”
“We just have all of these major visions that are all coming together right now,” she said. “There's a lot that needs to happen, but I am really hopeful that having some of the bigger players on board, the state has shown a lot of interest in some of these more transformative projects.”
For Duffy, some of that change could also come in the form of all road users — two- and four-wheels alike — being more aware and respectful of their surroundings.
“I also think there's just a cultural thing about respecting bikers, but also bikers respecting cars, like, truly sharing the road,” Duffy said.
“So I would hope that, while there could be some institutional changes or infrastructure changes, it would be nice to see a little bit of a societal change and just a little bit more respect on the road.”
The Salt Lake City Council is expected to give final approval for a $20,000 grant contribution in the coming weeks. Planning for the project could begin as soon as this July with construction starting in 2027.
