ST. GEORGE — A crowd cheered as local dignitaries cut the ribbon Friday for the new pedestrian tunnel under Bluff Street connecting the east and west sides of St. George. The cutting marked the completion of the joint Utah Department of Transportation-City of St. George project between Main Street and the southbound Interstate 15 ramps in St. George.
The tunnel joins the previously broken halves of the Hilton Drive Trail and is aimed at providing better access to the regional trail network in town. The new tunnel is also expected to improve safety for the pedestrians and bicyclists of St. George by providing an additional option to cross Bluff Street without dealing with the traffic of Bluff Street.
St. George City Councilwoman Dannielle Larkin thanked the Utah Department of Transportation and the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance (SUBA) for their involvement in making the tunnel possible. She also thanked the current and past mayor, who she said were instrumental in the groundwork for the tunnel.
“This has been a problem space for a long time; St. George has a lot of pinch points,” Larkin said. “We’ve got a lot of geologic pinch points that make up the rivers, the mountains and all these different spaces and Interstate 15 going through the center of our city. Transportation has been a challenge in our city.”
Larkin said the city had worked hard so people could use different forms of transportation throughout St. George. The tunnel is a “big deal” for the city’s active transportation plan. She said that getting people safely from point A to point B on a bicycle, on foot or in any other way than a car is a priority.
Research from the Utah Travel Study determined that an estimated 7% of all trips in St. George, regardless of purpose, are done by people walking and biking. Larkin said the study also showed that 40% of all trips in the city are less than two miles long and can be “easily converted” to walking or biking trips.
“This project makes those types of trips safer,” Larkin said.
When the project started in June, Bluff Street was closed off between Main and the interstate ramps. While the closure was expected to last two weeks, the street was opened three days ahead of schedule. Larkin said she was impressed with the speed the tunnel was completed.
“I have to say for projects, this happened really fast, which is an impressive statement about Utah and the City of St. George and our collaborations and our commitment to activity and active transportation in this city.”
Larkin added the tunnel helps to fulfill the city’s mission of becoming a pedestrian and cycling-friendly community, which she said is consistent with St. George’s twin pillars, “activity and optimism.”
The co-president of the Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance, Brett Burgess, spoke about how challenging it was to get from the north side of town to the south side when not in a vehicle. He complimented how quickly the tunnel materialized, remembering when the city built the first bike trail in 1990 and how St. George now has many paths.
“The tunnel was put together in record time, in two years,” Burgess said. “This is an amazing accomplishment.”
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.