A meeting was held on Tuesday, November 12, at the Event Center to inform the public about progress on the long-awaited Bannock Street project. Present were Mayor Joan Hawkins, all members of the City Council, City Treasurer Terrill Schwartz, and City Attorney Brett Evanson as well as Camille Miller and Kevin Harris of Forsgren Engineering and many residents and representatives of businesses that will be impacted by the project.

Forsgren representatives Kevin Harris and Camille Miller showed the engineering plans for the project, including detours, storm drains, and routes for sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and parkways.  Sidewalks will be the same width as at present but will be extended along Bannock Street to the train tracks. New curbs and gutters will be installed, and all parkways will be uniformly filled with gravel, which will help with drainage.

Bannock Street will be taken down to its original Bonneville clay base and then a stronger base laid to stop the damage done by heavy truck traffic. Asphalt will be laid over the base and on the parking strips on the sides of the road. Bannock Street will be flat without the hump down the middle from over 150 years of patchwork repairs to the road that was a cutoff of the original Oregon Trail.

While the project is underway, new, larger catch basins, drainage pipes, and sewer lines will be laid to improve storm water flow and replace outdated sewer lines. Storm water will be diverted to new drainage/retention areas near Malad City Park.

During the project, local traffic will be allowed along one side of the street and then the other from 100 West to 300 West.  Beyond 300 West, there will be one lane of traffic and flaggers to guide traffic.  Traffic will also be diverted to Depot Road when needed.

Because of the potential for disruption to normal traffic flow and access to properties, local residents affected by the project will be able to meet with contractors to determine the best way for the project to proceed at their individual properties.

Bids for the project will be let soon with the hope that the project, which has been delayed seven years, will begin in spring 2025.

The $8 million project will be financed primarily by federal grants although the City has to provide some matching funds for some of the grants. To finance the City’s match portion, the City Council passed a proposal to establish a Local Improvement District (LID).  The cost to property owners will depend on the number of linear feet along Bannock Street owned by the person, family, or business. That amount is still to be determined, as explained by City Attorney Brett Evanson and City Treasurer Terrill Schwartz.  The tax may be paid in a lump sum or over ten years at a low interest rate.

Additional meetings will be held once the contractor is hired and timelines are determined so that property owners may voice their concerns about the project and have their individual questions answered. The Mayor and City Council encourage all property owners who will be affected by this massive improvement project to attend future informational meetings.