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Summit County adds new parking spaces at Kimball Junction Transit Center

The transit center previously had 16 spaces, but they were usually occupied during the day

Last week, the Summit County Public Works Department added 38 new parking spaces in Kimball Junction. The spaces are located south of the Sheldon Richins Building and adjacent to the Kimball Junction Transit Center.
Courtesy of Summit County |

Ever since construction was completed on the Kimball Junction Transit Center in December of 2016, Summit County has been criticized for not including more parking spaces at the Snyderville Basin transit hub.

County officials contended that the site was never envisioned as a park-and-ride lot and claimed more spaces would only lead to more traffic congestion. The transit center had 16 spaces, but they were usually occupied during the day.

Last week, however, the Public Works Department finished paving the open space south of the Sheldon Richins Building and adjacent to the transit center to create 38 new parking spaces for commuters.



Derrick Radke, Public Works director, said the new spaces are intended to provide additional parking for residents who live in the neighborhoods surrounding Kimball Junction, such as Highland Estates.

“We wanted to reach a middle ground with the parking there where we could provide a few spots, but not hundreds and that’s why we built what we built,” he said.



The Public Works Department chose to use temporary materials to construct the parking lot, Radke said, with the intent of working with the future developers of the remaining vacant parcels at the Park City Tech Center to design a better parking system. The county owns the lot, but it is next to a future building site.

“If we are eventually going to provide some additional parking, we would like to work with our neighbors who develop the parcels to have joint parking spaces,” he said.

Radke said the parking lot will not affect the second phase of construction of the transit center, which was delayed due to a lack of funding. A second phase would include a transit building, plaza and any additional features, such as parking.

The Summit County Council recently began exploring locations for potential park-and-ride lots in the Basin to intercept commuters traveling into Park City. The Ecker view area, located on Kilby Road, has been identified as a primary spot for a large scale park-and-ride lot. Other locations that are being considered include Richardson Flat and the Park City Tech Center.

County Council members and county staffers have said they are committed to exploring a wide range of options to help mitigate traffic congestion.


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