Utah State Route 181
Encyclopedia
State Route 181 was a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Utah
connecting SR-152 in Murray
and Holladay
north to SR-186 in Salt Lake City at its peak, the former being suburbs
of the latter. The route was 6.9 miles (11.1 km) for thirty-eight years before being truncated in 2007 and decommissioned entirely later in the same year.
When the route was formed in 1935, it went from U.S. Route 89/U.S. Route 91 (US-89/US-91) near North Salt Lake
southeast to the Utah State Capitol
, then south on State Street, east on South Temple, and south again on 1300 East to US-40 in Salt Lake City. The route was eventually truncated south to SR-186 and extended south to SR-152, then decommissioned north of SR-171 in 2007 and deleted entirely the same year.
The residential and institutional land uses along the route contrast sharply with the nearby and nearly parallel route formed by 1100 East and Highland Drive, which has commercial and retail uses along a very high percentage of its length, and SR-181 in effect served as a bypass of the congestion associated with that commercial development.
dividing the East Bench of the Salt Lake Valley from lower-lying land to the west; the escarpment coincidentally runs almost perfectly north-to-south.
The highway expanded to four lanes past SR-171 and veered northwesterly through a major commercial area, therefore going slightly out of the alignment of 1300 East in the Salt Lake County
grid system and becoming Richmond Street. This was brief, however, and it returned back to 1300 East on the grid alignment past Highland Drive and reverted back to its original direction. This was the point when the highway widened to six lanes (plus, for the first time, frontage roads on the west side). SR-181 continued north to intersect I-80 and 2100 South in Sugar House (next to Sugar House Park, the former Sugar House Prison), where it lost four of its six lanes. This stretch of road, from 2100 South north to 1300 South, was frequently congested. Westminster College
was located on the west side of the road on this segment. The route gained a lane in the southbound section past 1300 South and another lane in the northbound section by 900 South, but these extra lanes have been removed in favor of bicycle lanes, center turn lanes, and extra parking since Salt Lake City took ownership of the road. Beyond 900 South, the road passed east of East High School. It continued in this matter to its terminus at SR-186, near the University of Utah
and west of the Rice-Eccles Stadium
.
. It then went south on State Street to South Temple, turned east on that street and then turned south on 1300 East. It continued south to US-40 (2100 South), where it terminated. In 1957, the highway was extended south by Commission to 1300 East (SR-152), which at that time ran along Highland Drive in Sugar House. In 1961, the highway was extended further south to 3300 South (SR-171). Another southward extension in 1969 brought the route to SR-152, which at that time was running along the Van Winkle Expressway.
In the early 1990s, traffic planners planned to relieve the congestion that was affecting the two-lane section of the route between 2100 South and 1300 South by implementing a center reversible lane
. The reversible lane would have flowed in a northbound direction in the morning and a southbound direction in the evening. There would also be eight overhead signals spaced about a block apart each reminding motorists what direction the lane was flowing in. However, this plan never came to fruition due to local opposition over safety and cost and was canceled at the end of 1993. On 17 October 2007, the portion of the route in Salt Lake City city limits (north of SR-171) was transferred to the city's ownership. On 7 December of the same year, the remainder of the route was transferred to Salt Lake County
's jurisdiction.
.
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!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
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State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
connecting SR-152 in Murray
Murray, Utah
Murray is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Murray, it is the state's fourteenth largest city. According to the 2010 census, Murray has approximately 46,746 residents.Murray is close to Salt Lake City,...
and Holladay
Holladay, Utah
Holladay is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 26,472 at the 2010 census, a significant increase from 14,561 in 2000. The city was incorporated on November 29, 1999 as Holladay-Cottonwood, and the...
north to SR-186 in Salt Lake City at its peak, the former being suburbs
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the latter. The route was 6.9 miles (11.1 km) for thirty-eight years before being truncated in 2007 and decommissioned entirely later in the same year.
When the route was formed in 1935, it went from U.S. Route 89/U.S. Route 91 (US-89/US-91) near North Salt Lake
North Salt Lake, Utah
North Salt Lake is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,749 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Salt Lake is located at ....
southeast to the Utah State Capitol
Utah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
, then south on State Street, east on South Temple, and south again on 1300 East to US-40 in Salt Lake City. The route was eventually truncated south to SR-186 and extended south to SR-152, then decommissioned north of SR-171 in 2007 and deleted entirely the same year.
The residential and institutional land uses along the route contrast sharply with the nearby and nearly parallel route formed by 1100 East and Highland Drive, which has commercial and retail uses along a very high percentage of its length, and SR-181 in effect served as a bypass of the congestion associated with that commercial development.
Route description
SR-181 began at the junction of SR-152 and 1300 East and headed north on the latter on a two-lane undivided highway in a suburban environment, as it was for most of the route. In the route's first two miles, a small military logistics facility and St. Mark's Hospital were located on the west side, the latter at the junction with 3900 South. Further north, SR-181 crossed over Mill Creek (Utah) and then immediately climbed a steep hill to cross the Jordan and Salt Lake Canal just before intersecting SR-171 (3300 South). From this point on, the route ran along the top of the nearly-continuous escarpmentEscarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
dividing the East Bench of the Salt Lake Valley from lower-lying land to the west; the escarpment coincidentally runs almost perfectly north-to-south.
The highway expanded to four lanes past SR-171 and veered northwesterly through a major commercial area, therefore going slightly out of the alignment of 1300 East in the Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
grid system and becoming Richmond Street. This was brief, however, and it returned back to 1300 East on the grid alignment past Highland Drive and reverted back to its original direction. This was the point when the highway widened to six lanes (plus, for the first time, frontage roads on the west side). SR-181 continued north to intersect I-80 and 2100 South in Sugar House (next to Sugar House Park, the former Sugar House Prison), where it lost four of its six lanes. This stretch of road, from 2100 South north to 1300 South, was frequently congested. Westminster College
Westminster College, Salt Lake City
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. The college comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health...
was located on the west side of the road on this segment. The route gained a lane in the southbound section past 1300 South and another lane in the northbound section by 900 South, but these extra lanes have been removed in favor of bicycle lanes, center turn lanes, and extra parking since Salt Lake City took ownership of the road. Beyond 900 South, the road passed east of East High School. It continued in this matter to its terminus at SR-186, near the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and west of the Rice-Eccles Stadium
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Rice-Eccles Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the campus of the University of Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Pacific-12 Conference...
.
History
The state legislature formed State Route 181 in 1935, beginning at the junction of US-89/US-91 (now solely US-89) and going southeast on Victory Road to the Utah State CapitolUtah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Utah and Lieutenant Governor of Utah, along with other supporting offices for the Government of Utah...
. It then went south on State Street to South Temple, turned east on that street and then turned south on 1300 East. It continued south to US-40 (2100 South), where it terminated. In 1957, the highway was extended south by Commission to 1300 East (SR-152), which at that time ran along Highland Drive in Sugar House. In 1961, the highway was extended further south to 3300 South (SR-171). Another southward extension in 1969 brought the route to SR-152, which at that time was running along the Van Winkle Expressway.
In the early 1990s, traffic planners planned to relieve the congestion that was affecting the two-lane section of the route between 2100 South and 1300 South by implementing a center reversible lane
Reversible lane
A reversible lane , called a counterflow lane or contraflow lane in transport engineering nomenclature, is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions...
. The reversible lane would have flowed in a northbound direction in the morning and a southbound direction in the evening. There would also be eight overhead signals spaced about a block apart each reminding motorists what direction the lane was flowing in. However, this plan never came to fruition due to local opposition over safety and cost and was canceled at the end of 1993. On 17 October 2007, the portion of the route in Salt Lake City city limits (north of SR-171) was transferred to the city's ownership. On 7 December of the same year, the remainder of the route was transferred to Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
's jurisdiction.
Major intersections
This table reflects the routing 1969–17 October 2007. The entire route was in Salt Lake CountySalt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
.
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