SALT LAKE CITY — An omnibus transportation bill underwent perhaps its last change Thursday after a last-second adjustment to a portion about a Salt Lake City road study raised concerns again earlier this week.
Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, and Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, the sponsors of SB195, met Thursday to review and adopt a seventh substitute of the bill during a conference committee meeting.
Christofferson explained that the version reverts some of the bill’s language about the road study back to the original version of fifth substitute, which had been viewed as a compromise to the city’s initial concerns of an earlier version of the bill. A previous version included a one-year moratorium on road safety projects, potentially impacting all roads with the way it was written.
The fifth substitute had called on a “highway reduction strategy” to review “permanently reducing the number of motorized vehicle travel lanes” along with a handful of other strategies that “may increase congestion for motor vehicles” on arterial or collector roads.
However, the bill language was adjusted again before a House vote late Tuesday, switching the language back to “highway.” Christofferson said that it meant to reflect state roads in the city, but Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said the slight change to “highway” in the language could have wider impacts.
“When we use the word highway, that includes all local and state roads,” she said.
A spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall told KSL.com Wednesday that the city views the latest version as “concerning” again, after city officials had supported the original version of the fifth substitute. The House voted to pass the fifth substitute, but the Senate, which passed the previous version, refused to concur with the amendment Wednesday evening, prompting Thursday’s meeting.
The seventh substitute switches the language back to “arterial or a collector highway” within a study area that is west of Foothill Drive, north of 2100 South, east of I-15 and south of 600 North. Those are larger roads generally managed by the Utah Department of Transportation, like 300 West or State Street.
“It limits it to the main roads,” Christofferson said.
It also tweaks language tied to road safety projects that reduce existing travel lanes, narrow lanes or do anything that may “increase congestion or impede traffic flow for motor vehicles driving” on those types of roads. The bill would prevent projects from “permanently” implementing those while the study takes place, but the state would not step in if there’s a temporary issue tied to construction or events, the representative added.
The city would also be allowed to move forward with any reduction strategy within the zone if a project had been “advertised on or before” Feb. 25. Salt Lake City approved a budget amendment on Feb. 18 that included funding more protected bike lanes at Capitol Hill, as well as bike and pedestrian crossing improvements along West Temple.
Christofferson said there were a few other city projects that will go through an “expedited” process so they’re held up by the legislation. He added the changes reflect a meeting he had with Salt Lake leaders on Wednesday, which he said Mendenhall told him were “acceptable.”
A city spokesperson confirmed to KSL.com that the city is “on board” with the latest version. The new version also amends language to another section about electric unicycles and self-balancing skateboards, which essentially makes sure that kids playing in their neighborhoods aren’t affected.
The House and Senate have until the end of Friday to adopt the changes. All bills must clear the House and Senate by the end of Friday and then be signed by Gov. Spencer Cox in order to become law.
Rachel Otto, chief of staff for Mendenhall, had thanked the bill’s sponsors for the original language in the fifth substitute last week. She said the city wanted to make sure it’s able to manage its roads as the city continues to deal with the effects of growth.
“It’s really crucial for Salt Lake City to enact traffic safety measures and make sure that we have a multimodal transportation system that functions safely for all users,” she said at the time. “We also want to be sensitive to the growth that Salt Lake City is seeing and ensuring that we are really building a city that works for everyone.”
This story may be updated.
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