Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- Salt Lake City recently completed the 200 South project, enhancing bus lanes and safety.
- Business leaders hope the reopening boosts downtown traffic during the holiday shopping season.
- Future developments may increase downtown vibrancy but create new challenges.
SALT LAKE CITY — One of the main veins of downtown Salt Lake City is open again, after more than two years of bothersome construction that impacted travelers and businesses alike.
Duncan Burrell can't remember direct impacts as crews dug into the road outside the two downtown bars he operates, but he knows it impacted the area.
Burrell owns Beer Bar and Bar-X alongside his brother, actor Ty Burrell, caught in the middle of Salt Lake City's 200 South project. The multiyear project blended Dominion Energy's gas line replacement project with a full reconstruction and reconfiguration of the busy road from 900 East in the Central City neighborhood to 400 West along the western edge of downtown.
Given that his customers were less likely to drive, Duncan Burrell said the bars weren't as impacted by accessibility as other businesses along the road, but he also heard from people who opted to avoid downtown completely because they didn't want to deal with construction.
"It was difficult for a lot of people to even get downtown," he told KSL.com. "People would just go to an entirely different part of the city. ... We were able to get through it, which is great, but it was a tough few years."
That's why he's excited that the construction is over. Salt Lake City completed the project last month, reopening all lanes within its reconfigured look. The repaved road now features new bus lanes and separated bike lanes, allowing for faster bus service and better safety for active transportation.
Salt Lake City and downtown business leaders gathered along the road to formally reopen it during a small ceremony Tuesday, explaining that they hope it brings people back to the area during the busy holiday shopping season.
"It is time to welcome holiday shoppers downtown; it is time to welcome commuters; it's time to welcome workforce. Downtown is the center of commerce, of arts and entertainment, and this new line is contributing to the access of those elements," said Dee Brewer, director of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance, moments before leaders cut a ribbon next to a new bus stop.
A complete overhaul
200 South is a key downtown street not just for drivers, but for the Utah Transit Authority. The agency ended its construction detour this week, bringing its 1, 2, 4, 205, 209, and 220 bus routes back to the road. High Valley Transit also uses 200 South for its Salt Lake City-Park City Connect service.
It's the busiest bus corridor in the state, said UTA board of trustees chairman Carlton Christensen. It's especially busy during the school year, as four of the routes go toward the University of Utah campus. Many routes also link up with UTA's FrontRunner and TRAX services, linking it with other parts of the county and Wasatch Front.
He said the new configuration should reduce backup, allowing for faster service. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said other changes aim to make the road safer, too, while connecting the city's east and west sides via the downtown core.
"This is the example of what a city could look like, where it thrives, economy, education and residential connection," she said.
Funding came from Salt Lake City's Funding Our Future bond that residents passed in 2018.
However, the rebuilding process also came at a difficult time for many businesses along 200 South. It began just as the last of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions — something that heavily impacted traffic to bars and restaurants — had lifted.
Many business owners reported issues with customers trying to access their businesses and other challenges, said Bill Knowles, a community ombudsman for the city and Downtown Alliance, who regularly worked with both small businesses and the city.
He said those conversions were difficult at times, but they led to improvements in the construction process to allow customers to still reach businesses. The city offered grants that helped businesses advertise and keep people employed, while the Downtown Alliance also chipped in by highlighting businesses along the 200 South corridor more.
Burrell said the grants didn't completely cover his business's losses during construction, but they helped ease the burden and keep both bars open.
Gearing for growth
The 200 South project could become more important with time. More people now live along the line with the opening of the Astra Tower and the Worthington — two high-rises within a block of the route — this year. Ground recently broke on another project in the area, while additional projects are being proposed nearby.
Business owners hope that it will drive more traffic downtown.
"It's really exciting to see downtown come back after the pandemic, construction and all of that," Burrell said. "It's much more vibrant than it was a year ago."
Downtown, in general, is also preparing for changes as a result of a new revitalization district closer a few blocks from 200 South. Brewer said the project — an effort to create a "sports, entertainment, cultural and convention district" surrounding a remodeled Delta Center — should give downtown yet another boost, but it will likely cause more construction headaches once it gets going as early as 2025.
He said the Downtown Alliance plans to take experiences from the 200 South project to help businesses potentially impacted by future construction.
"What that construction will be exactly remains to be seen but I think that will come into focus within the next year," he said. "We'll see what else in the area will have to be reconfigured, temporarily, to move people, traffic, workers, visitors and residents."
