For many bicyclists who live in Summit County and work in Salt Lake City, the risk involved in biking to work outweighs the benefits, because it requires riding on the shoulder of I-80 for six miles, alongside speeding cars and trucks.
A growing number of people, including members of Salt Lake City and Summit County governments, want to change that by creating a more bike-friendly pathway through Parleys Canyon. The pathway would run parallel to I-80 and connect to state Route 65 at Mountain Dell Golf Course, allowing riders to access Emigration Canyon.
"It's a very exciting project," said Salt Lake City Council member Dave Buhler. "It's not going to get done overnight. It'll take a while, but it's a great thing for our community."
One high-profile supporter of the trail is Salt Lake City native and Tour de France stage winner Dave Zabriskie.
"With this trail, cyclists can avoid the highway and have a safer way to enjoy the riding in Salt Lake City, Park City and surrounding areas," Zabriskie said in an e-mail sent from France, where he's preparing for this year's Tour de France.
Summit County will contribute $10,000, and Salt Lake City will contribute about $50,000 for a study to determine the feasibility of the Parleys Canyon trail, said Gordon Stam, a Summit Park resident who is a proponent of the bike path.
The Summit County Parks and Recreation Department plans to hire a company to conduct the study sometime in the next few weeks, and the study should be completed by the end of the year, Stam said.
The trail would make use of two existing roads that run along either side of I-80 and stop at dead ends directly across from each other, Stam said. The bike-trail proponents hope that a tunnel can be built under I-80 to connect the two roads and create a route that wouldn't require riding on the freeway.
Such a tunnel might also improve access for emergency vehicles to Summit Park, which is in an area especially susceptible to wildfires, he said. Currently, there's only one way to enter and exit Summit Park, which could create a bottleneck during an evacuation.
The feasibility study will determine whether such a tunnel is possible and what it might cost. If the study shows the trail is feasible, trail proponents will begin seeking funding to cover costs, which probably will be at least several million dollars, Stam said. They'll first seek funding from the federal government and might pursue private donations, as well.
Stam began advocating for a bike-friendly passage from Summit County about a year ago, he said. He has ridden his bike several times to work at ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City, but is usually dissuaded by having to ride along I-80, he said.
Biking to work is beneficial for many reasons, including improving health and reducing pollution, Stam said. Having a complete path from Park City to Salt Lake City might attract bicyclists from outside the state, as well as commuters, he said.
"It would enhance the recreational qualities of Salt Lake City," Stam said. "We've got skiing in the winter, and we might end up being something of a bicycling center in the summer."
E-mail: dfelix@desnews.com