On either side of Logan's main drag, intricate trail systems weave through neighborhoods, parks, and along the Logan River. But one key piece is missing — a safe, direct way to cross the road and connect those trails.
That’s why, beginning next month, the city will start construction on a pedestrian and bike underpass beneath Main Street — an effort to improve both connectivity and safety for Logan’s walkers, runners, and cyclists, said Russ Akina, the city’s director of parks and recreation.
“It’s a critical missing link,” Akina said, “for the city system.”
Currently, those wanting to cross the busy road to follow the trails have to divert several blocks to a signalized intersection, Akina said. Even then, reconnecting with the trail system isn’t very straightforward. On top of that, he added, many residents have raised concerns about the safety of crossing Main Street.
The new underpass, which will be located near 600 South, is designed to fix that. It will allow pedestrians and cyclists to move through the area safely and without interruption, Akina said. Residents will be able to move freely between trails near the Logan River Golf Course and those that lead up Logan Canyon.
“Having a trail network, or trail system, that is fully connected and allows the public to move from one destination to another, is really critical to having a viable system,” he said. “This is probably the most important connection.”
The $8 million project is set to begin in August and is expected to be completed by spring, according to Paul Lindhardt, Logan’s public works director. Construction will take place in two phases, he said, requiring excavation of the existing box culvert beneath Main Street. While the road will remain open throughout, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction from August to October.
“We certainly recognize the impacts to traffic during construction are going to be felt by a lot of people,” Lindhardt said. “But both [the Utah Department of Transportation] and Logan city have worked hard to come up with a way to minimize that as much as possible, and so we would just ask people to exercise patience and maybe plan a little bit extra time if they’ve got to travel through the south end of Logan. But when it's all said and done, it'll be worth it.”
The underpass will include a 10-foot-wide shared-use path — similar to the one beneath 100 West — and will connect to an existing trail on the east side of the road, Lindhardt said. As part of the project, the city will also install additional trail segments on the west side.
“Once it's done,” he said, “we're excited for people to be able to use it and enjoy it.”
