City to test roundabout in the 9th and 9th neighborhood
The complicated five-way stop at the intersection of 900 South, 1100 East and Gilmer Drive appears headed for a redesign and city transportation officials are test running different design options. From May 16 to May 23, the intersections will feature a pop-up roundabout to allow officials to track traffic patterns and residents’ responses.
The roundabout is the first of two planned temporary installations for the five-way intersection. From May 23 to May 30, the city will close the western end of Gilmer Drive, converting the five-way stop into a traditional four-way stop. Residents living on Gilmer will have to access their homes but the city will put several “road closed” signs near the intersection.
The city decided on the two temporary designs after feedback from residents as part of the larger planned redesign of 900 South in conjunction with the expansion of the 9-Line Trail. During an April open house residents selected on the roundabout and the closure of Gilmer as the two preferred design alternatives.
Transportation officials will hold four “Meet on the Street” events on May 17, 18, 24, and 25 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the site of the pop-up roundabout. Officials will also go door to door to gather feedback from residents after the temporary closing of Gilmer Drive on May 31 and June 1.
Any permanent changes to the five-way interchange on 900 South will be part of the planned redesign of the street from 900 East to 1300 East. The four-block stretch is one of the remaining segments of the 9-Line Corridor, a partially-complete urban trail that will connect Redwood Rood and the Jordan River to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and Emigration Canyon.
Only two sections of the 9-Line are complete. The first phase of the 9-Line runs along a former rail corridor between Redwood Road and 700 West, ending at the recently opened 9-Line Bike Park. The other completed portion of the 9-Line is the bikeway on the north side of Sunnyside Avenue from Guardsman Way to Arapeen Drive.
The city plans to start construction on the 9th and 9th neighborhood portion in 2019. In addition to repaving 900 South, the city proposes constructing a protected bike path (or cycle track) along the south park strip and add new bulb-outs at the intersections to shorten the distance of pedestrian crossings. The street will retain its on-street parking, but the lanes will be reduced from four to three, with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane.
In addition to new bikeways and a redesigned intersection, the 900 South Corridor could also become home to one of the city’s next high-frequency bus routes. The Salt Lake City Council has identified the 900 South corridor is one of the first routes to be updated with new funding from a recently approved sales tax increase.
Residents that can’t provide feedback in person on the pop-up roundabout and closing of Gilmer can still share input to the city by an online survey.
The Salt Lake City Transportation Division post of Facebook video (see below) of 900 South traffic adapting to the roundabout.
