Funding for major improvements to Highway 191 through the Indian Canyon corridor was approved during Utah’s 2023 legislative session. Senator Ron Winterton made the Request for Appropriations in the amount of $88.5 million dollars for the safety improvement projects and the fact that it was approved in full was no small feat. Senator Winterton had to take on the challenge of educating the legislators what the need was and convince them that this couldn’t be put off. “This road is a real safety hazard and we keep putting more and more trucks on it,” explains Senator Winterton. “It’s not built for that kind of traffic and then you get into summertime with the tourists and you are going to have even more of a concern for people’s safety.” The improvements that will be made to the 55 mile corridor are varied and are yet to be finalized but will include passing lanes, guardrail, and widening. An important part of the project is an overpass or underpass that will be built to merge vehicles onto Highway 6 without having to come to a stop at a stop sign. Having big trucks pulling out onto an already busy Highway is in itself a major safety concern. Funding for the project will be available July 1st. In the meantime, UDOT will be working on the plans and engineering aspects. Work on Highway 191 is already scheduled by UDOT this year to add some passing lanes but obviously there will be much more to come and likely at a quicker pace than would normally happen for a new project.
