While the bypass decision remains deadlocked, UDOT is offering a safety measure

Of the head-on collisions that occurred near Heber City on U.S. 40 this year, nearly 10 resulted in serious injuries or multiple fatalities. According to the Utah Department of Transportation, a median barrier might have reduced that number.

A crash involving a Dodge Ram and a Ford F-150 traveling in opposite directions resulted in the death of Juan Gambino, 36, of Riverton. In October, an unbelted 3-year-old was ejected and killed along with an unbelted woman driving a Volkswagen Passat that crossed the center line on the same highway. In November, five patients were taken to local hospitals in critical condition following a similar collision.

These types of accidents have increased alongside population growth in Wasatch County, which has increased exponentially in recent years. Heber City alone has seen a 12 percent increase in population since the last census in 2020.

City leaders have been pushing for a bypass to divert traffic away from downtown for more than three years. U.S. 40, which runs through Heber City’s main street, has become increasingly congested, raising safety concerns among community members. Two people — a teenage girl and a 17-year-old boy — were struck by cars driving on Main Street and Center Street in June and November.

UDOT has delayed the implementation of a bypass several times in the last three years. In October, leaders announced that the decision had taken so long that none of the five bypass route proposals could meet Wasatch County’s needs without making changes. The required environmental impact statement is still in progress and is expected to be completed by 2025. Craig Hancock, UDOT’s regional project manager, said a final decision could be made by 2026.

UDOT’s budget, finalized to fund the project through 2030, includes the cost of the environmental impact statement, but not the cost of the bypass route itself.

Instead of making a final decision on this matter, UDOT’s Eric Rasband put forward a safety measure that could curb the frequency and concern of car accidents. Here’s what he proposed to the Heber City Council and Wasatch County Council: a 42-inch constant-slope barrier along US 40 from the River Road intersection to E 1200 N St, next to the Back 40 Ranch House Grill.

The Heber City Council unanimously approved Rasband’s US 40 safety measure. In Wasatch County, the vote was 4-3 in favor of UDOT’s solution.

Rasband said there were seven car accidents and 11 serious injuries between 2019 and 2022 that could have been reduced or prevented with this type of barrier.

In theory, this intermediate barrier could reduce the number of crossover accidents by 80%, he said.

“If we could prevent 80% of these accidents with this investment, essentially 11 people would have a better quality of life and potentially one person would still be alive,” Rasband said.

Crossover accidents, in which vehicles cross the center line and result in head-on collisions, are becoming increasingly common along US 40 north and south of Heber City.

Bryce Rowser, a Utah Highway Patrol lieutenant who works in Heber, said these accidents usually occur at high speeds and due to drunk, drowsy or distracted driving.

“When someone is crossing and hits another car head-on, those are the most severe collisions we respond to,” Rowser said. “The population boom in Wasatch County means we are seeing a lot more traffic on the roads, and a lot more traffic on the roads is leading to more accidents that we are responding to.”

Rowser said that while traffic has increased, the number of Highway Patrol personnel has remained the same. This makes it more difficult to respond to crashes and conduct proactive enforcement.

“Through proactive enforcement, we can reduce the number of crashes,” Rowser said.

Rasband said UDOT’s proposal to install a median highway barrier provides better protection, especially for larger and heavier vehicles. And it’s not the first time UDOT has implemented such a solution in high-traffic areas.

Specifically in Provo Canyon, where motorists travel to and from areas such as Deer Creek Reservoir and Sundance, a similar barrier has been in place for more than 20 years. Rasband said this has prevented accidents in general, but particularly crossover collisions.

“I think it will make the Highway 40 corridor safer,” Heber City Councilman Scott Phillips said. “But I also think it will drive people further east to use Valley Hills Boulevard as a route south. So that could be a good thing in terms of rerouting traffic off Highway 40.”

Wasatch County Councilman Kendall Crittenden, who voted for the measure at a Dec. 4 council meeting, believes the split vote was due to concerns about access. With ongoing discussions about a new fire station along that stretch of U.S. 40 and access to neighborhoods, Wasatch County councilors weren’t convinced the ability to turn around at certain intersections would be enough.

“There have also been some questions about how long it will take,” Councilman Crittenden said. “If the bypass ends up going in that direction, which we hope it does, it will only last a few years.”

Of UDOT’s five proposed bypass routes, three would involve using the same route on US 40. But Rasband and Crittenden said it would be a worthwhile project, even if it only lasted a few years.

“Even if we benefited from this investment for five to six years, it would be worth it going forward,” Rasband said.

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