The golden rule of transportation is, “Keep moving.”

What that means for Murray this summer is the expected annual road improvements, but also improvements in active transportation aside from cars: sidewalks and bike lanes.

What that means to Jonny Olsen, Murray resident, is a more peaceful two-wheeled commute. “I ride my bike along Vine Street to get to the gym. I’ll gladly take a wider berth from the cars.”

According to the Murray City Transportation Plan released in 2021, Murray residents want a more walkable community with better bike lanes and pedestrian pathways. Because of the width and flow of the streets in the city, Murray is in a “good position to expand upon existing facilities to provide local and regional options for users with desirable accessibility to destinations within the city.” 

One improvement planned for the summer of 2024 will be the repaving and addition of buffered bike lanes on Vine Street from State Street to 900 East.

“This is already a popular bike corridor,” Chris Zawislak, Murray City engineer, said. “It’s one of the few corridors that connects east and west through the city.” Indicating that preferred bike routes were decided after consulting with Bike Utah and residents during the planning phase of the project.

The original bike lanes on Vine Street were painted in 2015, but the bike lanes slated for 2024 will be buffered, meaning more room for the biker, translating to greater safety.

“Right now, there’s a 5-foot shoulder with a solid line and a painted bike symbol,” Zawislak explained. “After the improvements there will be an additional 18-inch painted buffer area between the bike lane and traffic.”

The entirety of the road project will include removing the existing asphalt, improving concrete, fixing drainage, repaving and repainting. Construction will begin after June 6, as it will impact school zones, and should be completed by the end of the summer. Vine Street will be open during the project, with traffic impacted from time to time.

Bids are out now, but the city estimates the cost for the entire project of mill and overlay will cost $1.4 million, an already budgeted cost for ongoing maintenance. An Active Transportation Grant of about $300,000 from the county will help to pay for improvements to the sidewalks and bike lanes.

“There was no accident or incident that inspired the planned improvements for this year,” Zawislak said. “Murray tries to provide an opportunity for residents to get out of their cars to walk and bike to their destinations. Every time we do maintenance on a road, we try to improve the bike lanes.”

For updates on construction projects, consult www.murray.utah.gov/210/Public-Works or follow @murraycitypublicworks on Instagram. λ