The Utah Department of Transportation’s “hotspot” funding is currently being spent in two traffic projects in the city: a dispersed parking project along Emma Boulevard and a pilot transit shuttle program. Both projects have been in the works since 2020.
The project to increase parking along Emma Boulevard is expected to start construction this year. The project would add 57 parking stalls along the road. The parking lot will be designed with green infrastructure that would catch rainwater to provide water to plants in the area, according to City Engineer Chuck Williams.
Councilmembers Rani Derasary and Kalen Jones expressed that the parking lot plan should include shade to offset a heat island effect. Williams agreed and said he would update the council with an updated plan.
The transit shuttle pilot program has a system name now: the Moab Area Transit. It has also been officially recognized as a transit entity by UDOT. Moab currently has no public transportation; this project would be the city’s first. Williams anticipates the initial scope of service would be a micro-transit system encompassing Spanish Valley to State Route 128, that would utilize call-in services to dispatch buses on demand. To move forward, the city council must decide which grants or funding to pursue to pay for the project, which they’ll do at a later meeting.
The city is also moving forward with a project to construct a roundabout at the intersection of 400 N. and 100 W. adjacent to Swanny City Park. The roundabout would require the city to remove a sycamore tree, which would then require the city to replant a number of trees elsewhere in the city, in accordance with city code.
There will be a public hearing to discuss the roundabout on March 21.
