AI-generated illustration; not a photo of a specific Salt Lake City street.
Salt Lake City has finished its 600/700 North project near Rose Park, and city transportation leaders say it may be the last big road rebuild of its kind for a while. The next round of city street work is expected to lean toward smaller, neighborhood roads, while a new state law gives the Utah Department of Transportation a bigger say over the capital's busiest corridors, KSL.com reported.
A bond-funded building spree winds down
Since 2020, the city has torn up and rebuilt streets from 200 South downtown to the streets and infrastructure under the heart of Sugar House. Most of that work was paid for by a 2018 Salt Lake City bond that has since been spent, according to KSL.
"We did a lot in a very short amount of time, and everyone felt it," Salt Lake City Transportation Director Lynn Jacobs told KSL. "We had a lot of construction going on, and there was definitely a lot of construction fatigue that both we and (the Utah Department of Transportation) heard."
The slowdown applies to city-led projects. Private and state-led work, including sections of 300 West and 200 West tied to the downtown sports, entertainment, culture and convention district, is not part of that shift, KSL reported.
What SB242 changes for contractors and crews
Under SB242, passed by the Legislature this year, Salt Lake City must sign an agreement with UDOT by the start of 2027 covering how projects on its major streets get approved. On Tuesday, city staff presented a critical capacity routes map that sorts streets into four tiers:
Tier 1: large segments of North Temple, West Temple, State Street, Redwood Road and Columbus Street, plus all or parts of 100 South, 300 West, 400 South, 500 South, 600 South, 700 East, 800 South and 2100 South. The city can do safety work but cannot reduce traffic capacity, and the city's SB242 page says safety improvements there need UDOT approval.
Tier 2: streets including Main Street, 200 South, 400 West, 500 East, 900 West, 1300 East, 1700 South and 2100 East. Projects that could affect traffic flow need impact analysis, community and business outreach, and UDOT approval.
Tier 3: routes including 300 South, 300 East, 400 East, 600 East, 700 South, 800 East and parts of 1100 East. The city must do a traffic analysis, but UDOT sign-off is not required.
Tier 4: residential streets, which the law does not affect.
The law also requires the city to mitigate recent bike lane and trail projects on parts of 200 South, 300 West and 400 South. City officials told the council the leading fixes are new signage and clearer rules for delivery vehicles, better signal timing, and stronger outreach to businesses.
Complete streets ordinance on the table
Transportation staff are also asking the City Council to repeal the city's 2010 "complete streets" ordinance, which called for bike and pedestrian ways on every street. Tammy Hunsaker, director of the Department of Community and Neighborhoods, said it now conflicts with state law. Some council members pushed back, and Councilwoman Victoria Petro said she wants to keep working toward "a full elimination of this preemption," KSL reported.
For contractors, the takeaway is a pipeline shifting toward local streets and neighborhood byways, with more review up front on any Tier 1 or Tier 2 job that touches lanes. UCMN has been tracking other big transportation work along the Wasatch Front, including the $100 million Cottonwood Canyons transit center award.
Sources: Carter Williams, KSL.com, Nov. 11, 2026; Salt Lake City Transportation, SB242; Utah Legislature, S.B. 242 enrolled copy.