MIDWAY — Many roads lead to frustration in preparing routes to the 2002 Olympics Soldier Hollow venue.
Several feeders into the cross-country/biathlon site are inadequate in the views of local officials. They feel they were sold on the notion roads would be improved when they agreed to host the Games.
Neither Salt Lake Organizing Committee nor Utah Department of Transportation officials have been offering high hopes those roads will be upgraded at their cost.
Friction has surfaced on both sides.
"They're brushing us off, just like they always have," Midway City Councilman Arlin Kohler said after reading an Aug. 29 letter from SLOC explaining two professional groups are assessing Soldier Hollow transportation.
Kohler has recommended one key road, 250 West in Midway, be closed for the Olympics if SLOC or UDOT won't fix it.
"They've been planning on taking athletes and Olympic officials down 250 West to the venue and the road's so bad I'm afraid someone's going to go off into a ditch," Kohler said.
UDOT's Andrew Gemperline, who doubles as SLOC director of transportation, said he understands officials' concern with some roads here. Rather than talking about how to repair 250 West, however, he spoke of circumventing the closure.
"If they close 250 West, we'll take athletes and Olympic officials down (SR) 113 to Tate Lane and Cascade Springs Road," Gemperline said.
What SLOC and UDOT are looking at doing, Gemperline said, is repairing potentially problematic intersections, not necessarily roads leading to those crossings. Horrocks Engineers Inc., and Fehr & Peers Associates have been retained to study these intersections: U.S. 189 and South Fields Road, U.S. 189 and 2400 South, U.S. 189 and U-113, U-113 and 2400 South, U-113 and River Road and U-113 and Tate Lane.
"These interventions may fall short of your desires, but they are not an indication of a lack of commitment to safe and effective transportation both for those visiting your community and your local residents during the Games," Gemperline's Aug. 29 letter said.
But transportation isn't likely to be safe or effective without improving certain roadbeds local officials say.
"Look at the condition of this thing, You can imagine bringing thousands of people a day this way," Wasatch County Olympic Coordinator Bob Mathis said, jangling along in a van west on 2400 South, toward the tie-in with U-113.
The county shares maintenance with the city of Charleston on 2400 South. The county portion is relatively smooth, the city's ragged.
"With all the money being spent on these Olympics to attract people from around the world, you're telling me the burden should be on the 300 citizens of Charleston? That just doesn't make sense," Mathis said.
Neither do dicey sections of U-113, along which an estimated 30,000 bus trips will be needed to deliver approximately 25,000 spectators daily to Soldier Hollow. Mathis pinpointed possible dangers during snowy conditions.
"The road is narrow and the drop-offs are severe," Mathis said.
Proposals for a loop spectator route to and from Soldier Hollow have been on hold until the location of the park-and-ride lot was decided. Recently the lot was approved on Heber Valley Special Improvement District property.
"We will do everything necessary to ensure the safety and convenience of spectators to and from the venue," Gemperline said.
Things may have taken a recent turn for the better. Earlier this week, Wasatch County commissioners sent Gemperline a letter saying that, in a spirit of cooperation, the county is willing to consider overlaying its portion of 2400 South and Stringtown Road from Tate Lane to 500 South in Midway.
"We also are trying to make our limited resources serve the long-term needs of the valley as well as the Games. We hope you feel our good will and our determination in both regards," the letter, signed by commissioner Mike Kohler, said.
Grant Thomas, SLOC senior vice president for venues and transportation, said in a phone call from Sydney he appreciated the cooperative gesture.
"We are pleased to see the county take a proactive posture. We've listened to the community and want to do everything we can within our budget to have the roads in as good shape as possible," Thomas said.
He said SLOC hopes by October it will have both the assessments by Horrocks and Fehr and Peers and word whether further monies may be available from U.S. Department of Transportation highway discretionary funds.
Two things Wasatch County wanted won't be forthcoming, however, Thomas said: Upgrades at the intersections of U.S. 40 and River Road and U.S. 40 and U.S. 189.
"Both those will be handled by operational procedures, such as traffic control officers," Thomas said. "That's the type of thing we've been in Sydney studying. Wasatch County already has received much in infrastructure upgrades. We'll take under advisement those things the further studies show we need to do."
E-MAIL: gtwyman@desnews.com