Scott Johnson of WCG presented preliminary findings from the Safe Streets and Roads for All planning project at the Council of Governments meeting on Sept. 18, 2025, and asked each jurisdiction to provide a representative for a steering committee to guide local input.

Johnson, a WCG traffic and planning specialist, described the SS4A (federally funded via the U.S. Department of Transportation) safety-action-plan approach as a “safe systems” method that combines leadership, policy, data and community engagement. He said the plan’s purpose is to reduce severe crashes and make the county eligible for future implementation grants.

WCG’s analysis, presented by Johnson, showed 6,096 total crashes in Tooele County over a five-year period and 329 categorized as fatal or serious. "That’s one serious crash every five and a half days on average," Johnson said, and he cited a county-level societal-cost estimate of roughly $2,000,000,000 over the same period. The firm’s heat maps singled out multiple locations with recurring serious-crash activity, including the Stansbury Park/Bridal Park area and other state-managed corridors.

Johnson and project manager Dallas Wall emphasized a systemic approach: rather than fixing single hot spots after crashes occur, they recommended adopting changes as standards across the county (for example, design standards, signage or intersection treatments) and coordinating policy, enforcement and community outreach.

The consultant asked each city and town to appoint a staff or council representative to a steering committee that will meet periodically (about an hour per meeting) to review findings, help circulate public-information materials and advise on local concerns. Johnson said the plan must be far enough advanced to support a competitive implementation-grant application by a June deadline next year; he told the council the project’s timeline could require finishing much of the plan work within several months.

Discussion vs. decision: the presentation solicited local participants and feedback but did not include a formal council vote. Multiple council members agreed to nominate representatives and requested follow-up outreach and timelines. No official plan adoption or grant application was approved at the meeting.

Ending: WCG said it would follow up with jurisdictions to identify steering-committee members and schedule meetings; the consultants recommended mid-year 2026 as the target for plan completion if the county will seek an implementation grant.