Fall 2025 Update 

Thank you for your interest in the Urban Mobility Assessment (UMA). The UDOT study of Salt Lake City’s Highway Reduction Strategy projects (HRS) built from 2015-2025, and those anticipated through 2035, reached a milestone this week as the executive summary, findings, and considerations were provided to the Utah Legislature’s Transportation Interim Committee on October 15, 2025.

Senate Bill 195 (S.B. 195) directed UDOT to complete the UMA study, focused on understanding the outcomes of the HRS projects on transportation system capacity and quality of life in Salt Lake City. The study team collected and performed mobility and traffic analysis on more than 86 billion traffic records to develop the quantitative data set. We analyzed over 3,800 survey responses, and interviewed stakeholders, business owners, community members, commuters, emergency service providers, and transportation systems operators to develop the qualitative data set. These data sets were analyzed alongside quality of life indicators such as mobility, traffic flow, pedestrian and nonmotorized vehicle flow, parking, and changes to the economy, public health, air quality, emergency response, walking and biking, safety, transit, and road maintenance and operations to understand the changes to-date from Salt Lake City’s HRS projects.

The Study Included:

Highway Reduction Strategy projects (HRS) are those with the potential to permanently decrease the number of vehicles that can travel on an arterial and/or collector highways per hour. Arterials are primary routes that move large traffic volumes designed for efficient travel between different areas of the city. Collectors are roads that collect traffic from local streets and direct it on to arterials. In addition, projects are also considered highway reduction strategies when they:

• Reduce the number of motorized vehicle travel lanes on an arterial or collector highway
• Narrow existing motorized vehicle travel lanes on an arterial or collector highway
• Have potential, when implemented, to increase congestion or impede traffic flow for motor vehicles driving on an arterial or collector highway

The Study Did Not Include:

• Off-street parking
• On-street parking on corridors other than HRS impacted corridors
• Impacts on non-arterial/collector streets (e.g., residential streets)
• Changes in bicycle/pedestrian mode split (number of trips made by foot or on a bike in relation to the total trips made by all travel modes – including vehicles, transit, car/vanpools, etc.)
• Business relocations
• Other factors impacting the health of the business community other than transportation (homelessness, workforce, COVID, construction)
• Micro-level air quality changes at specific locations (e.g., changes to a specific street or intersection)
• Overall cost changes to road and bike lane operations and maintenance

The summary, findings, and considerations will be made available once they’ve been reviewed by the legislature. To be notified when this information is publicly available, please subscribe to updates by emailing UrbanMobilityAssessment@utah.gov.

S.B. 195 directed Salt Lake City to complete its own study and it is currently taking public comments on a variety of potential future projects it is studying. We encourage you to learn more about the Salt Lake City Transportation Mobility Plan and share your feedback by visiting https://shape.slc.gov/en/projects/mobility-plan.

What Is the Urban Mobility Assessment?

The Urban Mobility Assessment (UMA) is a study led by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to evaluate how roadway projects in Salt Lake City may have changed quality of life for residents, businesses, and people traveling through the city. Potential changes from these projects will be assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively.

As requested by Senate Bill 195 (S.B. 195), the study focuses on the area between Interstate 15 and Foothill Drive, from 2100 South to 600 North. The legislation requires:

• Salt Lake City to create a mobility plan for the area
• UDOT to analyze changes in mobility, traffic flow, environmental conditions, and community impact
• Evaluation of roadway projects built from 2015 to 2025, and assessment of planned projects through 2035

The final results — including recommendations for future project evaluations — will be submitted to the Utah Legislature’s Transportation Interim Committee in October 2025.

How to Get Involved

Thanks to everyone who took the project survey! We appreciate your time. Survey results will be shared when the study results are publicly available, anticiapted in January 2026. 

Why This Study Matters

S.B. 195 aims to verify that traffic-calming efforts in Salt Lake City align with state transportation goals and reflect the needs of motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and local businesses.

To achieve this, the UMA team is analyzing a range of data sources to assess before-and-after project conditions, including:

• Traffic volumes, speed data, and crash statistics
• Transit, pedestrian, and bicycle activity
• Air quality readings
• Economic indicators such as sales tax revenue
• Public input from commuters, residents, and business owners