Roy intersection focus of planned upgrade ahead of larger 5600 South overhaul
The 5600 South-1900 West intersection in Roy is pictured on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020.
5600 South near 2200 West in Roy is shown on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020.
The 5600 South-1900 West intersection in Roy is seen on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. The Utah Department of Transportation is planning a $12 million upgrade around the intersection to ease congestion in advance of more extensive roadwork a few years down the road.
ROY — The massive overhaul of the 5600 South corridor in Roy may be five years or more in the offing.
But more immediate work will be coming to ease congestion at the busy 5600 South-1900 West intersection as a stopgap measure until the larger project can be completed. The planned upgrade at the intersection by the Utah Department of Transportation, with an estimated price tag of $12 million, is in the design phase, with construction expected to start in 2022.
“It doesn’t solve the problem, but it helps us get there until we have enough money,” said Rep. Mike Schultz, the Hooper lawmaker who aided the push to secure funding for the stopgap fix.
5600 South from Roy west toward Hooper and West Haven is an increasingly congested roadway as the population in western Weber County grows. The road links into Interstate 15 on the east side of Roy and, further east, Hill Air Force Base and the Roy Innovation Center, a new defense technology complex run by Northrop Grumman that’s expected to employ thousands. As such, traffic along the road frequently crawls during the morning and afternoon rush hours each weekday, according to Roy Mayor Bob Dandoy
The larger $250 million-plus overhaul, focused on the 5600 South corridor from 3500 West east past I-15 to Hill Air Force Base, aims to remedy those issues. Plans also call for improvements to the I-15 interchange there.
The more near-term fix, meanwhile, focuses on smoothing traffic flow at the 5600 South-1900 West intersection via the addition of turn lanes. More specifically, UDOT spokesman Zach Whitney said 1900 West will be widened between 5700 South and 5400 South to allow for dual left-turn lanes for both northbound and southbound traffic. As is, there is just one left-hand turn lane going each direction. Moreover, a second right-turn only lane will be added to 1900 West for southbound motorists turning west onto 5600 South.
Schultz said the immediate plans also call for improvements to the Freeway Park Drive-5600 South intersection east of 1900 South and the I-15 underpass.
The improvements are included in the larger 5600 South improvement project plans “but it is a piece that we can do now while we wait for funding for the entire project,” Whitney said. Work on the 5600 South-1900 West upgrade is in the design phase, with actual movement of dirt to start in 2022.
The intersection improvements, when complete, “should give us a bridge,” Dandoy said, until the more comprehensive overhaul. Likewise, Schultz expects the difference in traffic flow once the work is done will be “night and day.”
The larger upgrade could be 10 years off, according to Schultz, and Dandoy has pressed UDOT officials to move the project up the priority list. The key sticking point, perhaps, is money — the project has an estimated price tag of $256 million, which would cover the proposed improvements along the 5600 South corridor and at the I-15 interchange.
“At this time, there is not funding allocated for this project,” Whitney said. “Since funding has not been allocated, I’m not able to provide a tentative construction date.”
Image supplied, Utah Department of Transportation
This image shows proposed changes along the 5600 South corridor in Roy and the Interstate 15 interchange there as part of a proposed Utah Department of Transportation upgrade.
The broader 5600 South upgrade plans are multifaceted. They call for widening the road from three to five lanes, the addition of a traffic signal at 3100 West, the addition of a bridge over 5600 South connecting the D&RG trail on either side of the road and more. Likewise, the I-15 interchange with 5600 South would be reconfigured to better handle traffic.
The project’s environmental assessment, a key step in allowing such a large-scale project to move forward, is complete, according to Whitney, and should soon be finalized. Then come efforts to pinpoint funding. “This is typically done through the Utah Transportation Commission. Every year, they review the state’s needs and prioritize them for funding. The legislature also reviews needs for potential funding,” Whitney said.
LOSS OF 15 BUSINESSES AND 63 HOMESGiven the scope of the 5600 South project, UDOT would have to acquire a significant amount of right-of-way to make way for a wider 5600 South, and Roy officials are wrestling with the potential implications of that change. As many as 15 businesses clustered along 5600 South and 1900 West near where the two roads meet would be impacted as well as 63 homes along the south side of the 5600 South corridor.
Image supplied, City of Roy
This image shows the commercial land around the 5600 South and 1900 West intersection that might have to be acquired by the Utah Department of Transportation as part of planned improvements along the 5600 South corridor.
Dandoy isn’t yet sure if UDOT would need to partially or fully acquire the land where the businesses and homes are located. At any rate, he hopes displaced businesses and residents will stay in Roy. “There are great companies and they’re good businesses and we need to do everything to keep business in Roy,” he said.
Changing the development guidelines applicable along the 1900 West corridor, Roy’s main commercial strip, may aid in retaining impacted businesses, even some residents, he thinks. Such change — allowing mixed residential and commercial development — is the ongoing focus of deliberation among city leaders.
According to city estimates, removing the 15 businesses — if, in fact, they were all forced to leave — would reduce property tax funds entering city coffers by $20,476. Loss of the 63 homes would reduce city property tax funding by $14,018 a year.