The Park City Council has directed a consulting firm to evaluate design options for a pedestrian underpass and a crosswalk at the intersection of Kearns Boulevard and Snow Creek Drive.
Methods Consulting is providing design services for the Snow Creek Tunnel under S.R. 248, which is known as Kearns Boulevard in Park City, and an at-grade crosswalk. The City Council approved a contract on Dec. 16 for the work in an amount not to exceed $1,638,760.
The vote was 3-1, with City Councilor Ed Parigian dissenting. He said the city has time to build the tunnel.
“Bonanza Park is going nowhere,” Parigian said. “Nothing’s being built. There’s no need for that crosswalk yet. There’s tons of time to do the tunnel in my opinion.”
For years, city and community leaders have wanted a safer pedestrian crossing at the intersection.
The options being explored for the City Council’s review include two tunnel alternatives with enhanced entryways and surrounding landscaping, and an at-grade HAWK, which is a high-intensity activated crossing used on wide roads with a speed limit exceeding 30 miles per hour. The HAWK is under consideration in case negotiations with adjacent owners for rights-of-way, which are needed to construct a tunnel, are unsuccessful.
“To build support among property owners during negotiations, it is crucial to have a comprehensive design prepared, complete with exhibits that illustrate the proposed acquisition and its impact,” a staff report says.
The scope of the work also includes identifying trail enhancements between S.R. 224 and Homestake Road, as well as the requirements and costs for relocating the Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District’s wastewater infrastructure. In addition, a historic monument associated with the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers might have to be relocated, according to a staff report.
The cost of the tunnel was estimated earlier this year to be about $16.6 million, but that figure does not include the aesthetic improvements at the tunnel entrances requested by councilors at a March meeting.
The funding sources currently assigned to the project — including a Walkability bond, a UDOT grant, a transit fund and a Summit County sales tax — totaled about $11.4 million in the spring.
A HAWK is estimated to cost between $500,000 and $800,000 and Park City could pursue funding through the Utah Department of Transportation, with the city contributing a small portion, a staff report says. The solution is less permanent and less safe, and the Utah Department of Transportation has confirmed it does not support installing a HAWK crossing if Park City builds the tunnel within the next five years, the staff report says.
The plan is for Methods Consulting to come back in the spring with updates on the project. The presentation will have information on the three alternatives, including the estimated costs of the tunnel, which are expected to rise a little due to the enhancements.
The next phase will include outreach to find out the plans of surrounding property owners and the potential impacts of the project on them, according to Steven Dennis, Park City’s capital projects manager.
If a pedestrian tunnel is authorized, the proposed schedule is to study the alternative designs and negotiate with adjoining property owners in spring 2026, advertise the project to contractors in January 2027, start construction in March 2027 and complete construction in November 2028.
Park City voters approved the $15 million Walkability bond in 2007 to raise $15 million for improving pedestrian routes in the city, and the Walking and Biking Liaison Committee prioritized projects based on public input. The pedestrian tunnel is the last remaining project.
A tunnel was originally proposed at Kearns Boulevard and Park Avenue, but the location was shifted north to Kearns Boulevard and Snow Creek Drive to better align it with key pedestrian and bike pathways.
In 2021, the City Council directed staff members to reconvene the Walking and Biking Liaison Committee and evaluate a grade-separated crossing. Later that year, the City Council supported the committee recommendation of a tunnel option over a bridge option.
The City Council approved engineering contracts in 2023 to refine tunnel costs and impacts and requested further at-grade analysis in 2024.
The Snow Creek Tunnel is part of Park City’s long-term plans, appearing in both Park City Forward and the Summit County Active Transportation plans.