Ogden Canyon Transportation Use Study

Good Afternoon, The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has completed Phase I of a Transportation Study in Ogden Canyon. The purpose of Phase I was to gather physical information and opinions concerning transportation through Ogden Canyon so a plan can be formed for future canyon uses and needs. In Phase II, the study team will meet more extensively with people and groups who care about Ogden Canyon. The study team will use information collected in Phase I to develop concepts that solve and mitigate controversy and that are feasible. Stakeholder groups made up of people who live, work, travel, and recreate in Ogden Canyon will be formed to evaluate these concepts and give input. Representatives of local government and other agencies will also participate in evaluating the concepts and giving feedback. Please visit our website to read about our findings from Phase I. We will keep you updated in the coming months as work progresses in Phase II.  .

Project Overview The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is conducting a Transportation Study in Ogden Canyon. The Transportation Commission asked UDOT to conduct the study and look at all modes of transportation in the canyon. The purpose of the study is to gather and share information in an interactive and transparent process to develop an understanding of the safety and mobility needs in the canyon. The study analysis includes existing and future safety concerns, traffic volumes, resident needs, economic needs, multi-modal uses (biking, truck traffic, pedestrian, transit, etc.), recreational uses, and environmental and geotechnical/geologic concerns.

Study Area

Contact Us Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.  Thanks! Ogden Canyon Transportation Use Study Team  801-337-5544  ogdencanyonstudy@utah.gov  udot.utah.gov/ogdencanyonstudy

Ogden Canyon Siphon Update

Pineview Water Systems is preparing to replace the irrigation water siphon at the mouth of Ogden Canyon.  Project details are noted below.  You have been included in the project update list from a previous database of Ogden Canyon projects.  Periodic status updates will be sent via this project email.  If you wish to be removed from this list, please indicate by replying to this email.

PROJECT PURPOSE and DESCRIPTION

·         The Ogden Canyon siphon is the pipeline that is suspended between the canyon walls at the mouth of Ogden Canyon.  The pipe is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and operated by Pineview Water Systems.  It has been in use since the summer of 1937, providing irrigation water for almost 80 years.  It currently serves 10,000 customers in the Ogden area. 
·         The siphon is at the end of its operational life and needs to be replaced.  A new pipe and support system with seismic upgrades will be installed.  The new siphon will look very similar to the existing pipe. 

CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE

Construction schedules are dependent on weather conditions, emergency situations or equipment/supply issues and are subject to change.

·         Preparations are being made to remove the existing pipe.  A protective highway cover has been built over SR-39 beneath the siphon and crews have begun construction of a set of towers that will facilitate the safe removal of the existing pipeline.  
·         The siphon will be drained and irrigation water will be shut off beginning October 1, 2015.  Removal of parts of the existing pipe could begin as soon as October 2, 2015.
·         The existing pipeline is scheduled to be removed by the end of November 2015 and construction of the new siphon will begin immediately thereafter.
·         The new siphon is scheduled to be operational by early April 2016.

TRAFFIC IMPACTS

·         Crews generally plan to work Monday through Friday, however, weekend work is likely as much of the work is weather-dependent.
·         Traffic impacts could begin as early as Oct. 2, 2015 and are expected to continue through early April 2016.
·         Lane closures and flagging operations should be expected on SR-39 at the mouth of the canyon throughout the project.  Traffic will be stopped intermittently in both directions for up to 15-minute intervals to accommodate construction equipment access.  Emergency access will be maintained.
·         Full road closures will be periodically scheduled with advance notice to motorists.
·         Drivers are encouraged to follow all signs and flaggers through the work zone to promote public safety.

MORE INFORMATION

Pineview Water has employed a project-dedicated public involvement team to keep the public informed and help address concerns throughout project construction.  Residents with questions or concerns may contact Marcus Murdock:

·         Phone: 801-888-3159
·         Email: email@ogdencanyonsiphon.com

Attachments area

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Ogden Canyon Transportation Use Study ends Friday

We just received this email reminder.  If you have not completed the brief study, then follow the link below.  It is important that UDOT hears from the valley folk. February 9, 2015

Ogden Canyon Transportation Use Study Good Afternoon, You are receiving this email because you've expressed interest in the Ogden Canyon Transportation Use Study. Thank you for taking the time to take our survey, comment on the website, send emails, and call us. We also appreciate those of you who we have been able to meet with in person. All of your information has been carefully documented and is a vital part of this first phase of the study. We will be closing the survey and the public input map on the website this week on Friday, February 13. We appreciate all the comments we have received thus far. If you haven't taken the survey yet, please click on the link below if you would like to take it. Only one survey will be allowed per electronic device. If more than one person per household would like to take the survey and you don’t have access to another device, please call our hotline and we will input your answers for you. Ogden Canyon Survey Please share this information with family and friends who have an interest in Ogden Canyon. We will compile the survey data along with the other data we have collected and present our findings to UDOT. We will keep you posted as we move forward.

Project Overview The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is conducting a Transportation Study in Ogden Canyon. The Transportation Commission asked UDOT to conduct the study and look at all modes of transportation in the canyon. The purpose of the study is to gather and share information in an interactive and transparent process to develop an understanding of the safety and mobility needs in the canyon. The study analysis includes existing and future safety concerns, traffic volumes, resident needs, economic needs, multi-modal uses (biking, truck traffic, pedestrian, transit, etc.), recreational uses, environmental concerns, geotechnical/geologic concerns, etc.

Study Area

Contact Us Please take a look at our study website if you haven't yet. The comment period for our website will close next Wednesday, February 11. The website will remain open and you will be able to see the comments of others, but you won't be able to leave a comment. We will post our findings on our website in the next couple months. Your input is essential to developing a long-term plan for Ogden Canyon and we appreciate your interest in the study. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.  Thanks! Ogden Canyon Transportation Use Study Team  801.337.5544  ogdencanyonstudy@utah.gov  udot.utah.gov/ogdencanyonstudy

Ogden Marathon May 17th - expect traffic disruptions.

Ogden Canyon and Ogden Valley Traffic will be affected Saturday, May 17th from 6 am until 1:00 PM due to Marathon activity.

TO avoid travel delays, Huntsville, Eden and Liberty residents should plan to use alternate routes to commute out of the upper valley.  Ogden Canyon will be shuttle traffic only until 1:15 PM Saturday.

Please use Trappers Loop or North Ogden divide to travel out of Ogden Valley.

Plan to avoid Highway 39 (South Fork Canyon) East of Huntsville from 6 am to 9 am.  Runners will begin running West from Red Rock Ranch at 7:15 am and will not clear the valley completely until 11:45 am.  Ogden Canyon will open up to normal driving activity at 1:15 PM.

The Half marathon begins at Eden Park at 6:45 am.  Runners will make their way towards Ogden Canyon around the North end of Pineview Reservoir.

Ogden Canyon Update

Ogden Canyon Waterline Update – August 8, 2013

I wanted to take an opportunity to explain what will be happening over the next few days in the canyon and what motorists can expect over the weekend.  As I mentioned last week, the canyon will be closed to all through traffic on Friday night between 9pm and 7am Saturday morning, and again Saturday night between 9pm and 7am Sunday morning.  During this time, the contractor will be milling the top inch and a half of asphalt off the eastbound lane from the bottom of the canyon all the way to the top.  Both lanes of travel will be open during the day on Saturday and Sunday.  Please be advised that eastbound traffic will be traveling on a milled surface, with an inch and a half separation between the westbound and eastbound lane.  Please be careful, do not pass other vehicles, and reduce your speed while traveling on the milled surface.  On Sunday night at 5pm, the canyon will close to all through traffic until 5am on Tuesday morning.  During this time, the contractor will pave a 2-inch thick overlay on the eastbound lane from the bottom of the canyon to the top of the canyon.  When the road opens again on Tuesday morning, there will be a brand new surface on the eastbound lane for the whole length of the canyon.  During the closures listed above, canyon residents and emergency vehicles will be allowed to travel in and out of the canyon.

Starting at 5am on Tuesday, August 13^th, both lanes of traffic will be open to the public during the day.  Nightly closures will still be in effect from 9pm to 5am while the contractor prepares for the westbound lane mill and overlay.  The westbound lane mill and overlay will follow the same schedule and process described above on the following weekend (August 16^th through the 20^th).

Thank you, as always, for your patience during this project.  Be safe, and have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Jason M. Allen, P.E. Public Involvement
HORROCKS ENGINEERS

3544 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 11 | Ogden, Utah 84401

Canyon Update: Ogden Canyon Closed Sunday Night

Ogden Canyon Waterline Project Alert:

Ogden Canyon will be closed to all traffic (except emergency vehicles) Sunday night, February 17, 2013, between the hours of 11pm and 5am.  During this hard closure, Ogden Canyon residents will only be able to enter or exit the canyon from the east.

The purpose of this closure is to stabilize an existing power pole in the construction zone.  In order to stabilize the pole, a backhoe must be stationed in the travel lane while the crews work to fix the issue.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards,

Jason M. Allen, P.E. Public Involvement
HORROCKS ENGINEERS

3544 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 11 | Ogden, Utah 84401

Another Ogden Canyon Update - Times for Closure Tweaked

Here is another update from Jason Allen, Horrocks Engineers

In an effort to accommodate weekend traffic, we have changed the closure schedule slightly.  The following are the updated closure times for SR-39 in Ogden Canyon.

Sunday night – Friday morning: 8pm – 5am

Friday night – Saturday morning: 10pm – 6am

Saturday night: no closure

Hopefully, this modification will lessen the impact to residents and businesses.  We recognize that visitors within the canyon are usually more frequent on Friday and Saturday evenings. 

As always, we want to thank you for your patience during this project.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.

Best regards,

Jason M. Allen, P.E. Public Involvement
HORROCKS ENGINEERS

3544 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 11 | Ogden, Utah 84401

Closing Canyon in the Evening Very Dangerous to Valley Residents

Guest post by Sally Lindsay, Huntsville

We all know that driving The North Ogden Divide or Trappers Loop in the winter presents special challenges.  Closing the Canyon at 8 PM is very dangerous to valley residents, especially our teenage children.  Driving from school activities over the North Ogden Divide at night in the winter is extremely dangerous, especially during storms.  Driving over Trapper’s loop at night in the winter in potential whiteout conditions, presents the same dangerous conditions.   Drivers will face highway isolation, the very real possibility of hitting a large animal, and accidents that might not be discovered until who knows when.  This is absolutely unacceptable and another solution needs to be found.

We have all been co-operative about dealing with the canyon closures.  This does not induce a cooperative spirit.  It smacks of not wanting to pay for the extra people involved to keep the canyon open.  It also smacks of ‘poor homework’ done by all involved.  The company had plenty of time and did plenty of research. Conducting this project in the middle of winter was an interesting choice at best.  If they have discovered problems, this is their problem and should not put residents in danger on top of inconvenience.

Ogden Canyon to be fully closed during the evening hours.

We just received this disappointing news regarding the Ogden Canyon Waterline Project:

Due to some unforeseeable site conditions on the Ogden Canyon Waterline project, it will be necessary to use the open cut method of construction for the remainder of the project.   Open cut construction requires a much larger work area than the pipe bursting method, and much of the canyon is too narrow to construct the pipeline and keep traffic lanes open.  In meeting with the contractor, Ogden City, project engineers, and UDOT, it has been determined that the best course of action will be to maintain the current 10-15 minute delays during the day, and implement a full closure of SR-39 in Ogden Canyon during the night.  The closure hours will be as follows:

January 2, 2013 – March 31, 2013

Sunday night through Friday morning: 8pm – 5am

Friday night through Sunday morning: 9pm – 6am

April 1, 2013 – June 1, 2013

Sunday night through Friday morning: 9pm – 5am

Friday night through Sunday morning: 9pm – 6am

These night time closures will allow the contractor full use of the road to stage equipment and material, thus allowing the project to progress more quickly, increasing the likelihood that the project will be completed ahead of schedule.

As a condition of the closure, emergency vehicles and local traffic (Ogden Canyon Residents) will still be allowed to travel on SR-39 during the night time closures, though there will still be some delays at the construction zones. 

Over the next few days, a representative from Horrocks Engineers will be visiting the Ogden Canyon residents to discuss these closures, answer any questions the residents may have, and distribute identification cards to present to the traffic control flaggers during the night time closures.

We thank you for your continued patience during this project.  We apologize in advance for any inconvenience that this may cause.  We hope that you will help us in spreading the word to any potentially impacted people you may know.

Ogden Canyon Update - Open until New Years

UPDATE

·         The contractor is currently prepping the ground at the bottom of the canyon for the temporary asphalt, which will be installed in the latter part of this week.
·         Both lanes of traffic through the canyon will be opening to the public on Saturday, December 22^nd, to allow for safe and convenient holiday travel.  One lane travel will resume on January 2, 2013.
Thank you all for your patience during this project.  Your feedback is very much appreciated.  Feel free to visit the website at www.ogdencanyonh2o.com, or call the hotline at (801) 675-8198.  You may also stop in to speak with us at the project hub located at the Horrocks Engineers office at 3544 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 11, in Ogden.

The Standard Editorial Board Nailed It This Morning With "Resort Road Won't Work" - Relating to the Powder Mountain Road, of Course

The Standard hit right to the heart of the Powder Mountain Road issue this morning with their editorial Resort road won't work.  Be sure not to miss the Grondahl cartoon, too.

Here are some tidbits, but read the entire editorial by clicking here:  (emphasis added)

The facts are clear: If there are going to be major plans for expansion at Powder Mountain -- including yearlong events and perhaps a new incorporated town -- there needs to be major changes with road access to Powder Mountain resort.

They went on to say,

The Weber County Sheriff's Department is concerned about the dangerous impact of heavier traffic up the resort road, but it can't do anything other than patrol the roads to make sure travel is as safe as possible.

And then,

It seems to us that some major brainstorming is needed. The existing road is not adequate. It won't work. Powder Mountain officials need to lead the way in coming up with safer, better transportation ideas. Unless some feasible idea is implemented to make the resort road safer and more practical, we can't see Powder Mountain's expansion ideas becoming a reality.

 Any comments from our Ogden Valley observers?