Brock MarchantLogan • For almost a year, traffic has plagued the south end of Main Street in Logan, congesting one of the primary arteries into and out of the city.
But city officials have said that once the construction was finished and the dust had cleared, the project would be worth it.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A path under Logan's Main Street will connect the city's trail system.
Now, the road is open again. Officials say the full job will be done in a handful of weeks, and the city’s vast trail systems to the east and west of Main Street will finally be connected by the Logan River Trail underpass. The city started constructing the Main Street-crossing tunnel in July of last year with the help of the Utah Department of Transportation.
Russ Akina, Logan’s director of parks and recreation, said this will be a significant piece of the community’s trail system.
“It’s an important part of it, certainly a missing link,” he said. “We’re excited to see that come to fruition.”
With the connection, Akina said, people will now be able to safely get from trails that stretch as far east as Third Dam in Logan Canyon to those that run as far west as Trapper Park, where 1600 West meets the Logan River.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Main Street is open again and the underpass is due to open in August.
Landis Wenger, Cache County’s regional trails and active transportation coordinator, said the new connection will serve several groups of people, including those who walk or bike to work and those who use the city’s trails just to get outside.
“A lot of those higher mountain trails are really only accessible a couple months out of the year, unless you’re wanting to do some winter recreation … but we have more and more of our cities that are keeping their trails plowed,” he said.
And even in fair weather when more people might prefer to hike paths that are farther from the community, Wenger said trails around town can help people get there without crowding trailheads.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Officials say the underpass is a "missing link" to Logan's trail system.
“A lot of the popular trails, you’ve got to get there by 6 a.m., or you’re not going to get a spot,” he said, “and so providing more ways for people to do the recreation from their doorstep … that’s really a goal that we’ve been trying to get to.”
Though his office hasn’t been directly involved with the Logan River Trail underpass project, Wenger said the county has had discussions with Logan officials about how they can best take advantage of the new connection.
Already, all lanes of traffic above the underpass construction site are open. Logan staff engineer Sadie Boyer said the underpass will likely be open for pedestrians in August.
Note to readers •This reporting position is a partnership with Utah Public Radio, a division of Utah State University.
I’m Brock Marchant, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Cache Valley reporter in partnership with Utah Public Radio. As a valley native, I’ve seen firsthand the issues that people face everywhere from Richmond to Avon — unaffordable housing, dwindling open space and a rapidly increasing population that has cities struggling to keep up. I want to explore local problems by reporting on the ground, not just quote elected officials and news releases. As residents work diligently to overcome challenges, I want to tell their stories and share their solutions. Smart, hard-working people have built the valley’s history, and I’m certain they will frame its future.
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