I live along Redwood Road, which is also known at Utah State Route 68.  In my neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Redwood Road is a 5-lane arterial with a concrete roadbed.  Recently the Utah Department of Transportation embarked on the concrete pavement rehabilitation of Redwood Road.  As stated on the same page, “The project will also repair or replace pedestrian ramps as needed.”

The two photos below show the state of the pedestrian ramps nearest my home as of July 15:This wouldn’t be so much of a problem, if it weren’t for the fact that the pedestrian ramps have been in this same state for weeks!  So, if you’re in a wheelchair, you’re forced out into the lanes of traffic in order to detour around the construction.  And, if you’re in a wheelchair and need to cross the street, good luck trying to reach the button to activate the pedestrian signal.  Once again this has been dragging on for weeks.

It’s obvious that UDOT has continued to view pedestrian facilities as a required formality rather than a legitimate transportation mode, which explains why few pedestrians can be seen walking along Redwood Road.  I hope someday soon UDOT will shift its priority from moving cars to moving people.