Recently UDOT announced the $14.3 billion funding for the largest transportation program in state history.
The purpose is connectivity for cars, trucks, bikes and walkers.
Shockingly there is absolutely no mention of connectivity for wildlife!
For example, part of the plan is to expand SR 224 in Park City from 82′ to 115′ for an additional of two bus lanes, but there is no funding budgeted for crucial crossings to get our wildlife down from our mountains at McPolin Farm and near Cutter Lane into our basin and into Swaner Preserve!
30,000-plus vehicles travel SR 224 on a daily basis. In the past two weeks we’ve lost four moose who were trying to cross our local highways. A mother moose was killed on SR 224 and her calves wandered terrified near her body. DRW came, tranquilized them and transported them out of the area and their only home. This is not an acceptable solution to avoid highway kills.
Park City is a ski town only five months of the year. The other seven months of the year, people come here to recreate and be part of nature! Park City residents and visitors love having our wildlife part of Park City and our outdoors.
We need a strong commitment from UDOT to wildlife now! We need funding for more officers to have strict enforcement of speed limits. We need Utah to set penalties for killing wildlife if over the speed limit. Especially, we need Utah to fund crossings at vital migration routes.
It is no longer acceptable to tell the public that there isn’t enough money available when $14.3 billion has been committed to transportation issues! Protecting our wildlife needs to be an integral piece of solving our transportation issues.
Mari Mennel-Bell, Park City
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