Current City Proposal

These two pictures show the current city proposal. The proposed trail (white line) has been moved to follow along 1120 North (east to west) and up along the upper west ridge of the hollow (north to south). The trail crossing would go over 1120 North just east of the Lehi Pond - hopefully with loosely promised light (not flashing lights, but an actual stop light). The stream would cross under the road through a 10 by 20 culvert. It is assumed that this area would be extremely marshy, however there are times of the year when is more dry and the culvert could attract crime.

The last segment of 1120 North as it approaches 900 West will be much smaller than the standard "major collector." In order to accommodate the road in this location the sidewalk and buffer on the Lehi-Pond side has been removed.

Update

In the past few months, American Fork city staff suggested that fill from the canyon secondary-water reservoir be moved for use in the Mitchell Hollow Crossing on 1120 North. Plans were made to place both water lines and secondary-water lines across the hollow with culverts for future trails. It came to a vote in a City Council Meeting (to spend approximately $120,000 to bring the fill into the hollow). The motion ultimately passed with 3 for, 2 against.

Prior to this motion and since the city-council meeting, several citizens had been working with the city trying to make sure that safety considerations were being addressed as well as design issues. We met in a small resident meeting last winter and again in an informal meeting.

In the second meeting, city staff presented a plan to take the trails over the road instead of underneath. We had a lot of concerns regarding the safety of this plan. We were not given the option to present alternatives, but instead were allowed to troubleshoot the city-staff plan. They did engage our concerns about finishing 900 West, placing a light at 700 N. and 900 W. and AFJH safety - as well as overall road safety. We left with a plan that still had some issues, but felt like we had done all that we could.

A change order came forward in a March City Public Hearing. Unfortunately we had missed the publicity for this meeting and only I was able to attend. Included in this change order were also the placement of a culvert and placement of the water lines for a total of around $433,000. Funds would be taken from secondary water, road repair, the utility department as well as other sources. The motion was seconded and then the second was rescinded when the council members realized the additional costs and plans that had been included in the motion. A revised motion for just some placement of the fill was put on the table and passed with 3 for, 1 against.

The city staff is eager to place those water lines. It will be a short amount of time before the additional motions are re-voted upon. We are eager to bring all ideas to the table. The fill is currently being placed in the hollow. The main issue left to decide is the design of the crossing and the trail crossings.

Our concerns continue to be overall safety. We have loose promises from the city that they will finish 900 West; place a light at 700 North and 900 West; address safety issues in front of AFJH; and include speed slowing measures for this stretch of 1120 North.

Some current suggestions have culverts placed under the road for future trails. A concern with this idea is that empty and unused culverts will attract crime to the area. We would like to ultimately see trails put in place at the same time as the culverts OR the culverts sufficiently blocked off to prevent kids from getting into these areas. The city thinks, though, that trails will not be functional until 2015. In this case another option has been explored to take the trail over the road with a promised crosswalk with stop light (not just flashing lights). Still a culvert would be placed and would potentially be a danger spot in the meantime.

Other ideas include placing a cross-walk bridge; placing a large suspension bridge; or just laying the water lines under the wetlands and doing nothing right now. Each one of these ideas have both pros and cons.

Update on American Fork Roads

You may be interested in this:

Beyond the Bonds (by Heidi Rodeback)

Many have asked whether, in light of the bonds' defeat, the City plans to pursue these items in future. Here's my take on that question.

Bonds 1, 2, and 3
The roads, the cemetery, and Art Dye park do represent legitimate community needs. These bonds were not a referendum as to whether the City would provide for them, but when and with what financing. The public's vote has indicated that this is the wrong time to undertake heavy capital expenditures. The City is well advised to defer these projects until better economic times.

Bond 4
Trails and open space do add to American Fork's quality of life, and the City will continue to plan for them. But without a funding source, the City is not likely to pursue these aggressively in the near future.

Bond 5
560 West is a neighborhood issue. I want to see how the local precincts voted before I call it dead. However, given that the railroad crossing bears a price tag far greater than its value, I do not think it likely that the City will pursue this any farther. I do hope, however, that possible improvements to 400 West will be studied.

2 Comments:
Wendy said...
What are the possibilities of the city council addressing improvements to 900 West, the light at 700 N/900 W, and increased safety at AFJH crosswalks before completing 1120 North? I don't want to loose sight of those priorities as the city determines how to proceed without the bond monies. I suspect that many votes on bond 1 did have to do with the economy, but I also think a fair amount were responding to the need to address some of these issues first.

Heidi Rodeback said...
In work session last Thursday (December 4), Council and Public Works discussed options for 1120 North and 900 West. About $97,000 will effectively put the projects in mothballs.

At 1120 North, approximately $52,000 will install storm drain and associated work necessary to preserve the wetland permit granted by the Army Corps of Engineers.

At 900 West, another $55,000 is thought sufficient to install a three-way stop at its intersection with 700 North. This includes money for right-of-way acquisition for a right-turn lane northbound off of 900 West.

I agree with your analysis of the vote; the need to upgrade 900 West before completing 1120 North kept me from throwing my support behind the bond. I will advocate this position from here on out.

As for American Fork Junior High -- crosswalks are only the beginning of what is needed there. I would favor a comprehensive evaluation and redesign by an engineering firm, with heavy reliance on public input. At the City Council level, we have noted the need at the junior high and have wanted to provide better for it. It's largely a matter of time and money. As always, the best way you can accelerate action is through your persistent advocacy.

(http://heidirodeback.blogspot.com/2008/11/beyond-bonds.html)

Thank You!

Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to defeat this bond!

Please stay involved with this issue and insist that American Fork City address the many safety concerns we've listed below before connecting 1120 North. We will continue to update this blog as issues with these roads arise.

Election Results

The Daily Herald is reporting these results on the road bond issue:

AF Roads Proposition
Against (5680)
For (2839)

Why Vote NO?

You may or may not be aware that American Fork Citizens will be voting on several bond proposals on Tuesday, November 4th. One of those bonds involves money slated for road improvements. We would like to encourage you to vote NO on the road bond for the following reasons:

1) 1120 North (the road that runs in front of AF Junior High School) will become a major road with major traffic. Connecting 1120 North through the wetlands to 900 West (the road east of Costco) will significantly increase traffic along 1120 North. Recent traffic studies commissioned by American Fork City estimate that once 1120 North is connected, traffic volume will essentially double on this road by 2030. Because of the light at 100 East, we are concerned that 1120 North will become the east/west road of choice for all of the Highland, Cedar Hills and Alpine traffic on 100 East traveling to The Meadows or I-15. Additional traffic lights need to be put in along 100 East as well as in Highland BEFORE connecting 1120 North in order to distribute traffic evenly among all roads and to avoid sending the brunt of the Highland/Cedar Hills/Alpine traffic through one American Fork neighborhood.

2) There is no funding in the proposed bond to improve 900 West (the road on the east side of Costco). As it is proposed on your November ballot, the bond does not include funding to install the traffic light planned for 700 North. Only right-hand turn lanes at the 700 North/900 West intersection are funded by the bond. Connecting 1120 North to 900 West will send a significant amount of traffic to 900 West, which will make it even more difficult and dangerous to turn left from 700 North. Also, the bond does not include funding to improve or widen 900 West from 700 North up to 1120 North (it funds widening at the intersection only). 900 West is a narrow road without a shoulder. This will be a nuisance and a danger to all drivers using 900 West, especially since the road is already congested with traffic from Costco and elsewhere. 900 West needs to be improved BEFORE 1120 North is connected.

3) The bond will cost American Fork homeowners approximately $1100 spread over the next 22 years. The bond's proposed road extension, which all American Fork taxpayers are being asked to fund, will run for two blocks along the extreme northwest corner of our city. Are you willing to pay an additional $50 per year for 22 years (on a $325,000 home) on your property taxes so that Highland, Alpine, and Cedar Hills residents can get to their shopping destinations more conveniently without having to bear any of the tax burden themselves?

4) Increased traffic on 1120 North will put American Fork Junior High students in danger. During American Fork Junior High School start and end times, the section of 1120 North in front of AFJS is incredibly busy, with cars dropping off or picking up students and students crossing the road. As the situation currently stands, AFJS has 10 crosswalks that cross 1120 North or are adjacent to it. Two of these crosswalks fall in the middle of the block in front of AFJS, not at intersections. Let's insist that our city council address these traffic dangers to our junior high students BEFORE they increase the traffic volume passing through these areas by connecting 1120 North and 900 West. Blinking lights at the crosswalks and speed tables (similar to a speedbump) are just two ways they could decrease speeds along 1120 North and increase visibility on a road used by hundreds of students and their families. They should fund safety measures for our students first.

For more information as well as the official text of the bond resolution, please go to: http://AFroads.blogspot.com/

Please vote NO on the road bond! Let's make sure we do it right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this bond fix the roads damaged by putting in the pressurized irrigation?
No! The bond has nothing to do with fixing all those damaged roads. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common misconception.

Doesn't the bond include a traffic light at the intersection at 700 North and 900 West?
No, the planned light was trimmed to lessen bond costs. This is one of our major concerns about the bond. Without a light, turning left from 700 North onto 900 West will be inconvenient at best, and dangerous at worst. Traffic will likely continue to back up onto 700 North because increased traffic will be traveling down 900 West and make it even more difficult to find an opening in traffic in order to turn left. The bond only plans for right-hand turn lanes added to this extremely busy intersection.

What about a traffic light at the intersection of 1120 North and 900 West?
Nope. There is no light at this intersection in the bond.

Does the bond pay to widen and improve 900 West up to 1120 North?
No, the bond does not pay to improve anything ABOVE 700 North. Any improvements to 900 West BELOW 700 North will be paid for by developers.

1120 North is planned to be a major collector?
Yes, the city's 2030 traffic projections show 8,000 to 12,000 cars travelling on 1120 North each day. Current traffic (which was counted near AFJH in 2007) is around 4000 cars.

Will the bond solve traffic problems on 700 North?
Connecting 1120 North to 900 West *might* reduce the traffic volume on 700 North. However, in solving one problem, the bond creates at least two new problems. 1) The intersection at 700 North and 900 West will become even more congested because of additional traffic on 900 West. Without a traffic light, turning left from 700 North onto 900 West will be very difficult and dangerous because of fewer holes in the traffic, potentially resulting in an even bigger backup onto 700 North. 2) Traffic will move onto an unimproved and dangerous 900 West which is narrow with blind curves. It is unfortunate that poor traffic planning sent a lot of the current traffic to 700 North. Fixing that problem with the cheapest and easiest option only to create more serious problems is not the solution. Let's get it right this time.

What does the bond pay for at 50 South?
The bond money will go towards widening 50 South from 700 East to 1100 East. At some point a light is planned for this intersection. The bond does not pay for this light, only the improvements necessary to widen the area. Money will have to be raised separately to pay for the light.

Besides this bond that you're opposing, are there any other road bonds on the ballot?
Yes. Bond #5 (560 West Road) funds improvements to 560 West, which will be extended over the railroad tracks to Pacific Drive (near Smith's). We have no position on that bond.

Do you support bond #4?
We have not taken a position on bond #4 or any of the other bonds. It was a different group that passed out fliers about bond #4 at a recent community meeting.

Why isn't Highland improving roads for its own traffic?
Highland does have an east/west collector on its plan. However, they are not currently improving it. Our concern is that because Highland's road is not yet sufficiently improved for major east-west traffic, Highland, Cedar Hills, and Alpine drivers will develop a habit of using 1120 North instead. This will result in a dangerous amount of traffic in front of American Fork Junior High. Highland's roads need to be improved and safety improvements need to made at AFJH BEFORE we connect 1120 North.

Where can I find more information?
Keep reading! There is a lot of information on this blog. If you would like even more information, feel free to email us with your questions. There also will be a city bond information meeting on October 22 @ 7:00 in Historic City Hall.

How can I get involved?
Send emails to your neighbors and friends in American Fork encouraging them to get informed. The first post on this blog can be cut and pasted into an email to give basic information. We'd appreciate any help distributing flyers and posters. Email us at AFroads@gmail.com if you have time or funds to put towards opposing this bond.