<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0qu00p_1GxdEF7F00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0qu00p_1GxdEF7F00" width="1505" height="912" ></figure>Nichole Coombs | Lehi Free Press In a move that will improve safety for students, residents, and bikers crossing SR92, UDOT has partnered with Lehi City to fund a north-to-south pedestrian bridge. “This is great for our city,” said council member Heather Newall. “It will connect our residents, support the businesses, and most of all keep everyone safe.” UDOT and Lehi City have discussed the project for many years, and it was a top-three priority for funding but wasn’t expected to be funded this year. Then, on November 6, 2026, during a UDOT Commission meeting held in St. George, the bridge project was approved. “Each region of UDOT brings forth its projects and what they need funded, and then the commission has the right to approve them or deny them,” said Mayor Paul Binns. “Some of these projects have been on the list for years, some for just a few months.” Mayor Binns, city administrator Jason Walker, and council member Michelle Stallings attended the meeting. Before making any decisions, the commission opens the floor to public comment. “I gave a comment on how much we appreciate the partnership with UDOT and with MAG,” said Binns. “And the importance of this bridge that had been needed and the importance of the funding to expedite the project.”The commission then voted to fund the additional money needed to build it. The bridge will cost between $8 and $9 million to build. The city secured half of that money through various grants. UDOT is partnering with the city and funding the other half. “This process started many years ago,” said former Lehi Mayor Mark Johnson. “It was amplified once the middle school was built [in 2021]. That’s when talks about a pedestrian bridge started.” In May 2024, during a city council meeting, Mayor Johnson and then-city engineer Lorin Powell discussed next steps and securing grant funding for the project. During the council meeting on June 11, 2024, resident Johnathan Madsen addressed the council about issues he has observed with students trying to cross SR92. “With the right-hand turn lane coming in and the crosswalk, I want to get it on the record: [I have concerns]. It’s going to be a challenge to get that thing [pedestrian walkway] in there because of all the entities who are involved,” said Madsen. The Viewpoint Middle School Community Council has been aware of SR92’s challenges since the school opened. “One of our state-mandated jobs as a council is to ensure each child has a safe way to get to and from the school,” said Viewpoint Middle School community council chairperson, Jenny Timmerman. “I’m just filled with joy, relief, and gratitude for everyone who worked on this in the past ten years. It is amazing what we can accomplish as a community when we come together for a single purpose.”The process of getting the bridge started in 2018. City engineer Mike West began developing design concepts. In June 2024, UDOT and Lehi City met to discuss those concepts and review the feasibility study. In August 2025, Lehi City started writing grants to help fund the project. In March 2026, Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran submitted federal funding requests. In August 2026, Lehi secured 4.5 million dollars through grants and MAG. On September 2, 2026, a child was hit while crossing SR-92 in the crosswalk. Public outcry amplified, and several news outlets covered the issue. With Lehi’s $4.5 million contribution and a $4.5 million partnership with UDOT, the bridge project is set to begin. “It’s not just Lehi City that got this project across the finish line,” said Binns. “It’s multiple agencies sitting around the table making the plans to make it work.” Most of Lehi’s money comes from the MAG (Mountainland Association of Governments). The association is focused on Utah, Summit and Wasatch counties. MAG consists of the mayors and county commissioners in those counties, who make up a board. That board oversees regional transportation needs and trails. They focus on the connectivity between regions. “UDOT takes care of most of the high-end [high dollar] stuff,” said Binns. “The middle stuff, the interregional roads and connectivity, is usually provided by MAG. They approve their projects two to three years out. Their funds come from the state.” MAG approved the pedestrian bridge this year, assuming it would be built in 2029 or 2030. “We had to go out and find the other $4.5 million, and that’s where our friends at UDOT partnered with us to provide it,” said Binns.But the city wants the bridge built sooner than 2029. “So, we will work with the county and will swap another one of our MAG projects for this one. Once it’s approved [presumably at the city council meeting on Tuesday], it can go to design on Wednesday. The reason it can is because Lehi will pay the first $300,000 to $400,000. We have to pay that anyway; that’s our portion. So, what we can do is use our funds upfront to start the planning.” The pedestrian walkway is expected to take eight to ten months to engineer. “Because we’ve done it this way, we’ve sped up the project 12 to 18 months,” said Binns. Residents won’t see construction until the engineering and design phases are complete, likely by the end of 2027. However, if that process moves more quickly, construction could start that winter. “This is so important for the Skyridge cluster,” said Alpine School District vice president Stacy Bateman. “Lehi is extraordinary. It really does take people in leadership positions to champion something like this and see it through to the end. Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of it.” </div></body>

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In a move that will improve safety for students, residents, and bikers crossing SR92, UDOT has partnered with Lehi City to fund a north-to-south pedestrian bridge. “This is great for our city,” said council member Heather Newall. “It will connect our residents, support the businesses, and most of all keep everyone safe.”

Funding for SR-92 pedestrian bridge approved, project accelerated

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In a move that will improve safety for students, residents, and bikers crossing SR92, UDOT has partnered with Lehi City to fund a north-to-south pedestrian

Funding for SR-92 pedestrian bridge approved, project accelerated

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