Over the past few years, Salt Lake City has been awash in construction. Major road reconstruction on 200 S, 300 W, 900 S, Highland Drive, and 1100 E has brought challenges.
Additional construction throughout other areas of the city has proven bothersome. New buildings are going up as well, which only further adds to the seemingly endless sea of orange cones and hard hats. This construction hasn’t been easy on any of us, especially our small business community. Despite this, Salt Lake City is thriving.
Yet, one common question we regularly receive is, “Why now, and why so much?”
In 2018, the Biskupski administration and the City Council proposed an $87 million General Obligation bond to catch up on the deferred maintenance. More than 67% of voters favored the bond at the time. As with all bonds, there is a short window of time in which the funds need to be spent before they expire; in this case, the funds expire in the fall of 2025.
In 2019, when the bond funds became available, the bond’s shot clock started, and with it, a flurry of activity. Salt Lake City has packed over a decade’s worth of designing, planning and reconstruction efforts into the five-year bond window. Monthly coordination meetings take place between city departments to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and collaboration with key stakeholders, such as UTA and Dominion Energy, ensure that needed upgrades to utility and transit infrastructure can happen concurrently so that roadways don’t need to be redone multiple times.
The highly visible road construction currently ongoing within the city is a direct result of that bond. These are projects to improve and update infrastructure that has long been long overdue. Additional features to enhance these corridors, both aesthetically and for safety and comfort for all users, improve the feel and connectivity of the city. We beliveve these improvements will be good for the city, for residents and for businesses.
“What are our measuring sticks?” you might ask.
Downtown activity is up nearly 140% over pre-pandemic levels, making Salt Lake City’s downtown a top-performing downtown nationwide. In areas where construction has been completed, roadways — and, more importantly, neighborhoods — have been transformed. On 900 S, the 9-Line Trail has become an attractive, safe and inclusive place for neighbors, businesses and street users. Central 9th and the Maven District are two vibrant hubs for people to shop, dine and connect, extending downtown’s vibrancy outward throughout the city.
This transformation and the vibrancy that it has brought with it was never guaranteed. It took foresight and planning. When the Great Recession hit, city revenues were down for three to four years, which meant that roadway maintenance was deferred. By 2016, this deferred maintenance resulted in a backlog of repairs totaling over $80 million. Ongoing maintenance and future needs should have been calculated in that figure.
Salt Lake City is the capital city of a state that is regularly recognized for having one of the best economies in the nation. Downtown Salt Lake has a thriving arts, culture and entertainment scene that brings people into the city — people who inevitably spend money at restaurants and local shops. When money is spent at local small businesses, it stays local, with $0.52 of every dollar staying in the community. With so much current construction demand, laborers from out of state are coming for construction jobs, increasing the demand for goods and services locally.
We are four years into this five-year sprint to spend down the voter-approved bond funds, and significant progress has been made. Construction is complete along 300 W and is almost complete along 900 S. Key segments of Highland Drive and 1100 E are completed, as is much of the 200 S reconstruction project. The worst-rated section of road in the city, 100 S below 1300 E, was completed in 2022.
While the challenges that all of this construction has brought are real, so are the benefits. New, complete streets, where travelers feel comfortable, regardless of how they choose to get around, will bring more pedestrian traffic to small businesses. More people can move through our city more comfortably and safely.
When the construction cones are gone, we’ll be left with smooth asphalt, landscaped medians, shared-use, protected bike paths and dedicated bus lanes that increase the quality of life for everyone (compared to 2018, when nearly two-thirds of our roads were rated poor or worse).
With growth comes discomfort, and if the level of discomfort is correlated with the level of growth, we’re in for something special. In the meantime, get out and support your local businesses through this temporary speedbump!
Brandon Hill
Brandon Hill is a Utah native, an avid fly-fisherman, an outdoor enthusiast, a skier, a golfer and sometimes a writer. He is a small business owner who lives in the Emerson area of Sugar House. He owns two businesses and is currently co-chair of the Sugar House Chamber. He is also a member of the Sugar House Community Council and volunteers on the Council’s Land Use and Zoning Committee.
Erika Wiggins
Erika Wiggins lives in Sugar House and owns a photography business in Sugar House. She has served as co-chair of the Sugar House Chamber and Community Alliance with Brandon Hill going on three years. Erika volunteers with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and the Sugar House Community Council and has a deep love for the community.
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