Livable, vibrant, attractive. Those aren't adjectives often applied to State Street, the major transportation corridor and state road that runs through six Salt Lake County cities south of the State Capitol. And yet, the creators of the Life on State Street project say they want to transform this string of strip malls into a community model of what a street can and should be.

We're all for it, knowing at the same time that it will be a long and uphill battle. The visionaries at the Wasatch Front Regional Council and their consultants agree it won't be easy, but they're moving ahead with a study to outline goals and a plan of action.

They've enlisted support for the $150,000 study from Salt Lake County, Draper, Midvale, Murray, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Salt Lake, the Utah Transit Authority, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake Chamber and The Downtown Alliance. No mean feat, to be sure.

The initial Life on State Street report (read it at www.lifeonstate.org) encourages "thinking about potential future buildings, parks, ... changes to sidewalks, street furniture and even things like new high-capacity transit on State Street." So far, "high-capacity transit" means bus rapid transit. Anything else, such as streetcars, makes no sense, since most of the 16 miles of State in the study run parallel to, and only a few blocks from, the existing TRAX line.

Changes to sidewalks that

Advertisement
might include widening and beautifying of pedestrian walkways at the expense of traffic lanes demand careful consideration, since State Street is a major north-south traffic conduit and one of the few alternatives to Interstate 15 avaiilable for rerouting if the freeway is closed for repairs or emergencies.

That said, we wholeheartedly support the effort to coordinate plans among the cities and identify "livable corridor opportunity areas" where public or private property might be upgraded. What's needed is for a city stakeholder, perhaps Murray, where several public properties line State Street, to take the lead. Somebody has to get the ball rolling with a new park, upscale residential development, commercial building beautification or other project that fits with the group's ideas for "small area studies."

Two "visioning workshops" -- July 8 at 6 p.m. at Jordan High School and July 9 at 6 p.m. at Murray High School -- will give stakeholders a chance to weigh in with ideas and concerns about the proposal. Then, in September, residents can get a look at the results during town hall meetings.

People who live, work or do business near State Street should get involved in advancing this long-overdue effort.