The Cache County Council of Governments is utilizing a comprehensive Transportation Master Plan to prioritize infrastructure projects across Cache Valley, focusing on safety, economic connectivity, and congestion relief. The planning framework follows a foundational orientation held on January 20, 2022, to train new mayors on their responsibilities within the Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Council of Governments.
Master Plan and Governance Structure
Cache County COG Transportation Master Plan Framework
As detailed in the Cache County COG Transportation Master Plan prepared by Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., the plan identifies transportation improvement projects for regionally significant corridors, arterials, and collector streets. The plan serves to inform future decisions regarding the Cache County COG option sales and use tax for transportation expenditures.
The Council of Governments was organized in 2009 to participate in the voter-approved local option sales tax road project prioritization process, as defined by Utah State Code 59-12-2217. The organization includes 19 incorporated cities within Cache County and the Cache County Executive.
Leadership Training and Roles
Training for Regional Leadership
To ensure effective governance, a new mayor orientation and training session was conducted on January 20, 2022. This session provided an overview of the various services provided by Cache County.
During the training, attendees received information regarding their specific roles and responsibilities as voting members on the Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization (CMPO) Executive Council and the Cache County Council of Governments (COG). Presenters for the session included Carly Lansche, the Regional Trail and Active Transportation Coordinator, and Lauren Ryan, a Countywide Planner. Other contributors to the orientation included Todd Beutler from the Cache Valley Transit District, Jesse Mott from the COG and County staff, Joel Merritt, the Cache County Road and Vegetation Superintendent, and Jeff Gilbert from the CMPO and COG staff.
Safety and Countermeasure Scoring
Prioritizing Safety and Multimodal Improvements
The prioritization process for the Transportation Master Plan is built upon Utah’s Transportation Vision Quality of Life Framework, with an additional category for implementation added by the Steering Committee. The methodology evaluates projects based on specific performance metrics to measure impacts on health, economy, mobility, connectivity, and implementation.
Safety remains a primary metric, with the plan incorporating Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Proven Safety Countermeasures (PSCs). These countermeasures are designed to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries across all road users and road types, including rural and urban streets. Projects that implement multiple PSCs, such as new sidewalks, roundabouts, or improved lighting, receive higher scores than projects focused solely on roadway widening.
Economic and Multimodal Priorities
Multimodal and Economic Connectivity
To promote active lifestyles and recreation, the plan rewards projects that provide multimodal enhancements. These include widening shoulders by 4 to 6 feet, installing protected bike lanes, or creating separated shared-use paths and trails.
Economic impact is measured through access to economic opportunity and freight mobility. For economic connectivity, projects are rewarded based on their proximity to Tier 1 activity centers, which include major employers, hospitals, and high schools or colleges. For freight mobility, the plan prioritizes projects that align with the UDOT Freight Plan, serving existing freight routes or connecting freight centers. Projects located on roadways with high truck volumes—specifically those exceeding 500 vehicles per day—are also prioritized to support the local economy.
Traffic and Congestion Mitigation
Mobility and Traffic Volume Metrics
To address congestion, the plan evaluates projects based on utilization and capacity enhancements. This metric utilizes the CMPO's travel demand model to simulate how proposed projects impact future traffic volumes and help reduce congestion throughout the roadway network.
Projects are ranked by their Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volumes. The scoring system categorizes traffic levels to prioritize those with the highest impact on relieving congestion, ranging from volumes under 1,000 ADT to those exceeding 10,001 ADT. This data-driven approach ensures that the most heavily used roadways receive necessary attention for capacity and functional classification improvements.
Collaborative Planning Process
Project Identification Process
The identification of transportation needs in Cache Valley involves a collaborative process between the Cache County and CMPO. This includes conducting stakeholder meetings with each of the 19 member cities to discuss specific local needs. The final list of potential projects is derived from these discussions, previous planning efforts, local transportation master plans, corridor studies, the CMPO Regional Transportation Plan, and the Imagine Cache General Plan.
