Park City advances Re-Create 248 transit project with $2.1 million design and environmental contract

Re-Create 248 project area. Photo: Park City Municipal

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Council unanimously approved a $2.1 million contract Thursday to move the Re-Create 248 transit project into environmental review, engineering, and early design work, marking the next major phase in the city’s effort to bring dedicated bus lanes to the SR-248 corridor.

The Re-Create 248 project is aimed at reducing congestion and improving transit reliability along the heavily traveled corridor connecting Quinn’s Junction, Bonanza Drive, Deer Valley Drive, and the Old Town Transit Center. The study area also includes the Richardson Flat Park-and-Ride.

Thursday’s vote follows the council’s January decision to formally adopt dedicated, side-running bus lanes as the project’s Locally Preferred Alternative after more than a year of study conducted with the Utah Department of Transportation.

According to a city staff report, the newly approved contract is structured to allow the city to advance work incrementally as project details, environmental requirements, and funding opportunities evolve. The agreement has a 36-month term with two optional one-year extensions.

City staff said the project could qualify for a streamlined federal environmental review process or require more extensive documentation depending on the final scope and impacts identified during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

The approved funding will support early work including environmental clearance, engineering analysis, public involvement, and refinement of the side-running transit lane concept. The city expects additional funding requests and future contract amendments to come back before council as the project progresses.

Funding for the initial contract comes entirely from Summit County’s Third Quarter Transportation Sales Tax program. City staff noted the current authorization is not expected to cover the project’s full consultant scope and said Park City is pursuing additional county, state, and federal funding opportunities, including a recent federal transportation appropriation request.

The broader Re-Create 248 study began as a partnership between Park City and UDOT to evaluate long-term transit solutions for the increasingly congested SR-248 corridor. Alternatives studied included light rail, reversible transit lanes, automated guideway transit, rail trail alignments, and dedicated bus lanes.

City officials ultimately identified side-running bus lanes as the highest-performing option based on transit performance, cost, feasibility, environmental considerations, and implementation timeline.

Staff has previously said the project is intended to support long-term regional mobility needs and help position Park City for transportation improvements ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics.

The project comes as UDOT continues construction on a BRT line along SR-224.