This plan focused on developing trail-oriented communities by connecting potential future housing nodes with safe, welcoming, and comfortable walking, biking, and transit networks.

It is important to Midway to develop housing choices that allow people to live in the community they work in. Providing housing for these essential workers is crucial for their well-being and enhancing the overall quality of life for the entire community.

Study Goals were developed for the Midway Mobility Blueprint.

North of Midway is Summit County, which includes Park City, the Wasatch Back's largest tourist destination. Park City is less than 20 miles away from Midway. Utah County and Salt Lake County are on the opposite side of the mountains along the Wasatch Front, which is accessible from I-80 or U.S. 189. The Wasatch Front is where most of Utah's population lives and many destinations in this region can be accessed from Midway in an hour or less without heavy traffic.

Due to its close proximity to these major destination and population hubs, and with its unique resort offerings, Midway is a top destination for the region and a desirable place to live.

The population of Midway is forecast to increase by more than 84% by 2050, growing by over 5,000 in total. Population trends like this are similar in many Utah communities, including Heber and the rest of Wasatch County, as seen in the graph and table shown here.

Midway has a relatively older population compared to many other communities. Over 1,100 people, or 20% of the population, are 65 years or older. The rural, small town feel of Midway and its proximity to outdoor amenities appeals to many older people who are close to, or already have retired and have the option to chose where they live.

In Wasatch County 12% of the approximate 36,000 people that live there are 65 years or older, almost half the percentage of Midway's population. Overall, Wasatch County's population is younger.

The large percent of people 65 years or older in Midway means the median age is higher than Wasatch County. Midway's median population is 41.5 and Wasatch County's is 34.5.

(Utah's population has the lowest median age in the U.S. at 31.3 years)

There are over 200 people in Midway with a disability of some kind, making up 3% of the population. Many people with a disability need transportation options beyond driving a personal vehicle and well designed public facilities that are designed to meet the requirements of the American Disabilities Act (ADA).

Wasatch County is home to more than 2,500 people with a disability, which is 7% of the population.

More than 300 households in Midway qualify as low-income. The average household size in Midway is 2.9 people, which means that there are over 1,000 people living in low-income households. This is 16% of Midway's population.

Almost a quarter of Wasatch County's population (23%) are living low-income households. The county also has a higher average household size of 3.2 people. This adds up to approximately 8,000 people living in 2,500 low-income households.

The amount of people who leave Midway for work (2,755) is more than twice the amount that travel to Midway for work (1,201). However, only around 300 people live and work in Midway, which is just 25% of the 1,201 people commuting to Midway for work.

Most people (52%) commuting to Midway live less than 10 miles away. Workers traveling 10 to 24 miles makeup 23% of commuters, 14% commute between 25 to 50 miles, and 12% travel over 50 miles to work in Midway.

This map shows where people commuting to Midway for work live. The largest cluster of worker's homes is surrounding Midway, but many homes are located in places like Provo/Orem and Salt Lake County.

The job growth and population growth anticipated in Midway will occur at different rates in different locations. The maps show Midway and portions of the surrounding area divided into Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ), which are used by local and regional transportation officials, planners, and engineers to evaluate current and future traffic patterns. A TAZ usually incorporates census blocks and census data to produce job and population projections.

The center of Midway, including Main Street, is the one area forecast to experience the most concentrated job growth. Conversely, there are several areas where population growth is expected to be concentrated.

This table shows the shortage of available homes based off of income level and population. The table also includes example jobs for each income level and how many people in the household must be working to earn that amount.

Midway’s median rent has risen rapidly, reaching $3,091 before utilities in 2022. Formerly comparable to surrounding areas, rent in Midway is now more than double that of Heber City and Wasatch County. Renter households comprise 15 percent of all households in Midway, compared to 22 percent in Heber City and 23 percent in Wasatch County, according to the 2018-2022 American Community Survey.

Midway's home values have been inline with the rest of the Wasatch Back since at least 2009, however, in 2023 home values in Midway began to appreciate faster. Midway home values have tripled since 2009.

Many roads in the U.S. are designed for speeds above the posted limit, which can make it easier for vehicles to travel at high speeds. This makes roads unsafe for other vehicles and for the most vulnerable users, people who are walking, biking, or traveling by any other means than driving. The map displayed here shows several highly traveled roads that experience frequent speeding. The photos are from residents and visitors enjoying community events in Midway.

This map shows the posted speed limits and the average vehicle speeds people drive at on those roads, it also labels which of these roads are UDOT owned. Below, the roads are listed in order of average vehicle speed above the posted limit.

0-10 Miles per hour over the limit

• Street Ln

10-15 Miles per hour over the limit

• Pine Canyon Rd
• 1050 N
• 600 N
• Center St
• River Rd (south portion)
• Michie Ln

15+ Miles per hour over the limit

• Cari Ln
• River Rd (north portion)
• Main St

Midway's General Plan was adopted in 2020 and provides a comprehensive list of active transportation facilities including paved trails, backcountry trails, and bike lanes.

Many parts of the network are complete and others are either in the design or build phase.

Providing active transportation connections within Midway and to the regional transportation network ~ is a primary goal of the Midway Mobility Blueprint.

Midway's Active Transportation and existing network provided a corner stone to develop for recommendations. Because Midway is advancing a complete network of trails and on-street bike facilities, the recommendations provided here are focused on a few additional network connections and specific locations for traffic calming infrastructure.

The list of recommendations also reflects the input and feedback from the public, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and Steering Committee. The existing conditions analysis prepared for the study was another corner stone, which included vehicle involved crashes, average vehicle speeds, and other safety data.

The map shown here shows the recommended and planned active transportation and traffic calming projects. All traffic calming projects are symbolized by a variation of a red circle.

The Midway Mobility Blueprint's recommended active transportation and traffic calming facilities are:

• Paved trail along Main Street from 400 West to 770 East
• Bike lane along Main Street from 770 East to Johnson Mill Road
• Paved trail along Provo River
• Paved trail along 100 North
• Bike lane along 400 West from Main Street to 200 North
• Paved trail crossing Homestead Resort connecting Pine Canyon Road with Homestead Drive
• Paved trail along 1320 North

In addition to the active transportation facilities, several traffic calming measures were recommended as part of this study to provide a safe and comfortable environment for all users.

Safety is as important as a direct connection to a destination. People will not walk or bike along corridors they do not feel safe on. Many of the roads that the recommended active transportation facilities are located on were identified as unsafe and uncomfortable to walk or bike on by the public and stakeholders.

Midway envisions Main Street as a lively and walkable destination that fosters community connections, whether individuals gather for dining and socializing, attend events, or simply stroll along the corridor. The city aims to implement traffic calming measures, enhance pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and integrate placemaking initiatives to cultivate Main Street into a vibrant corridor.

As part of this study, several recommendations were developed for Main Street to help the city in achieving its vision. Given that Main Street falls under the jurisdiction of the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), a representative from UDOT actively participated in the Main Street vision discussions to identify opportunities and concerns and ensure recommendations for Main Street align with UDOT's objectives.

Two alternatives were provided to help Midway in achieving their vision, alternative one focuses on minimizing curb and gutter relocation and right-of-way changes. Alternative two has a higher impact on curb and gutter relocation while aiming to avoid the relocation of utility lines. Both alternatives are preliminary and intended for planning purposes. Further studies may be necessary to assess the feasibility of these options. 

Existing Cross-section

This graphic shows the existing cross-section for Main Street. Because the right-of-way varies along the corridor and the street configuration changes too, the segment between 100 East and Center Street was determined to be the main cross-section to use for preliminary alternative designs of the Main Street. At this location the existing right-of-way width is 90 feet with 65 feet of pavement from curb-to-curb.

Alternative Design Concept One

Options 1A and 1B were developed to explore different bicycle facility treatments without having to move the curb and gutter. Both alternatives could be achieved with paint treatments.

Alternative 1A has 6.5-foot bike lanes with 3-foot buffers, 5-foot sidewalks, two 11-foot travel lanes, a center turn lane, and parking on one side of the street.

To note - FHWA and NACTO recommend 12 feet for a two-way cycle track, while NACTO allows for as narrow as 8 feet if conditions are constrained.

Alternative Design Concept One

Alternative 1B has one 8-foot two-way cycle track, 5-foot sidewalks, two 11-foot travel lanes, a center turn lane, and parking on both sides of the street.

HVT also runs a free fixed bus route between Heber and Park City. The microtransit service zone, which include Midway, also covers the commercial center of Midway and neighborhoods with higher densities.

The map shows the Wasatch County microtransit service zone and the top three microtransit destinations in Wasatch County, which include Wasatch Mountain State Park and Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.

Microtransit has been popular in Wasatch County and Midway, accounting for close to 30% of the trips in January of 2024, as shown in the pie chart.

HVT's Wasatch Back Connector

The 106 Wasatch Back Connector route began in 2022 and it is the first and only fixed transit route in Wasatch County. From its start, the Wasatch Back Connector has experienced high ridership.

Since December 2022 there has only been one month where ridership was below 1,500 passengers. In January of 2023 and in January of 2024 the Wasatch Back Connector carried more than 7,000 passengers to their destinations for the month.

Setting goals to meet will help Midway actively plan for their desired transit services. Developing strategies will allow for incremental progress on the path to achieving these goals.

• Coordinate with HVT on their short-range transit plan.
• Work towards annexing Wasatch County into HVT transit district.
• Allow for a smooth expansion of on-demand service in Midway to support workers, families, tourists, etc.

• Integrate transit options alongside trail-oriented development and workforce housing.

• Create a local shuttle or circulator between downtown and Midway's resorts.

• Develop fixed transit routes to key regional destinations, including ski resorts.

• Launch a pilot shuttle during peak tourist season between downtown and the resorts.
• Develop a 5-year transit plan for an internal Midway shuttle.

• Collaborate with resorts and other large employers to build public-private partnerships to fund shuttle operations and maintenance.
• Set up reoccurring meetings with HVT as they develop the 2024 short-range transit plan (a required near-term transit service plan that will be updated every 5 years) to ensure Midway transit goals are incorporated.
• Look at transit holistically and plan to accommodate tourists/visitors, residents, and workers with a balanced approach, and by providing transportation choices.
• Coordinate with developers to accommodate future transit hubs or facilities within new developments.
• Align transit growth with other city plans including considering where to preserve and integrate passenger pickup locations for on-demand service, local shuttle service, or future fixed route service around trail-oriented development, the active transportation network, and downtown locations.
• Incorporate transit goals with parking plans, policy, and new road infrastructure decisions.
• Find community champions that support transit and can be a liaison between city staff, residents, transit riders, and commuters.
• Visit other rural communities that serve as gateways to natural amenities and outdoor recreation destinations with existing transit systems to determine the most suitable options for Midway.