|
||||
  
 
 |
Smithfield council grapples with transportation plan By
Marie Griffin SMITHFIELD -- The City Council last week discussed a proposed access management plan for improving transportation in Cache County. Mark Tuescher, countywide planner, and Jay Aguilar, transportation planner for the Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization, presented an overview of the plan to the council. Aguilar explained that access management, which has already been approved in many states, is "as good as it gets" anywhere in the country. "That's not to say it won't be painful," he added. He explained that the process of improving transportation routes would be long and would take a great deal of planning and cooperation from all parties involved. The Utah Department of Transportation is not driving the operation, but concerns about UDOT involvement were addressed. Aguilar said UDOT will be participating in the endeavor, but that those cities that embrace the new plan will be more likely to have input than if UDOT had been the driving force. "To some degree, we're willing to take input from all the cities," Aguilar said. Aguilar and Tuescher presented the plan to the council using a video that showed how traditional two-lane roads cannot handle increasing demands for transportation. Access management will seek to enhance the efficiency of roadways while limiting traffic conflict and interference. The video illustrated how a typical intersection provides for 32 points of conflict because of crossing, merging, and diverging. An intersection designed using access management will provide only four such points. Furthermore, well-regulated driveways, right-turn deceleration lanes, and raised medians will allow for 50 percent fewer accidents, according to the video. Councilman Jeffry Gittins asked, "What reception are you getting by businesses?" He was concerned that businesses would be skeptical about limiting direct access of their parking lots to the highways. "Customers want easy access to businesses," Tuescher replied. Access management is economically important to businesses. Businesses make more money when they make things easier for their customers. Leland Foster, a member of the Cache Valley Initiative and a representative of Hyclone Laboratories, was present at the meeting to promote access management from the point of view of the business world. He agreed that the new plan will boost businesses economically. He expressed concern for the business community in the event that Cache Valley does not choose to go with access management. "We will die on the vine," he said. The planners told the council that it is important that Smithfield be aware of the future plans. "We're all participating in this," Tuescher said.
|
Archived Months:
January
1999 January
2000 January
2001 |
||