• Benjamin Wood
• The configuration of the Utah State Fairpark makes it difficult for events there to utilize the potential transit, cycling and pedestrian connections offered by the Jordan River Parkway.

FAIRPARK—A two-month closure of the Jordan River Parkway ended Friday, allowing access between North Temple and Cottonwood Park and restoring the parkway trail to its unique status as a roughly 45-mile-long active transportation corridor connecting Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties.

Some paved portions of the trail remain closed near the Northwest Recreation Center as maintenance work continues on a series of aging bridges. As of Friday afternoon, trail users were being detoured through a dirt path on the south side of the river that ties into a network of asphalt walkways near the Utah Department of Heath and Human Services building on North Star Drive.

The closure was initiated during the 2024 Utah State Fair in September and facilitated both riverbank maintenance and a targeted law enforcement operation to clear out unlawful encampments, which are a regular occurrence along that and other sections of the trail. On Oct. 15, the Salt Lake City Police Department announced the results of a 30-day effort along the Jordan River Parkway, which led to 48 felony arrests, 54 misdemeanor arrests, 183 traffic stops and 64 citations.

“We are committed to disrupting criminal activity to protect our trails, open spaces and neighborhoods,” SLCPD Chief Mike Brown said in a prepared statement. “The work of our patrol officers, bike squads and detectives deserves recognition. Their efforts are having an impact not only in reducing crime and reducing drug trafficking, but also engaging with community members throughout our city.”

• Benjamin Wood
• A pair of cyclists pass through an unpaved detour along the Jordan River on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.

While conditions along the entire parkway vary dramatically, few segments are as embattled as the Fairpark section. Land use adjacent to the trail in that area represents a perfect storm of challenging conditions, with large industrial and civic properties failing to meaningfully engage with the river corridor and with a sparse residential presence affording little of the "eyes on the street" dynamic that is crucial for vibrancy to deter aberrant behavior. Fairpark's relative proximity to downtown, combined with its disruption by anti-pedestrian surface highways like Redwood Road, also contributes to a sense of seclusion that makes the river an attractive location for the unsheltered population and the criminal elements that prey on them.

Plans are underway to address some of those land use deficiencies. The city is launching a $9 million "Emerald Ribbon" project to renovate park spaces along the river trail, funded by a voter-approved bond, and lawmakers recently passed legislation to create a new taxing district, which would support the long-discussed renovation of the Utah State Fairpark in conjunction with the transformation of the sprawling Rocky Mountain Power campus on the Poplar Grove side of North Temple into The Power District, a mixed-use housing, retail and entertainment hub that aims to lure a Major League Baseball expansion team to the Wasatch Front.

The Power District plans, while generally supported by the City Council and other city leaders, has generated pushback by some residents who question its potential impact on gentrification and displacement, despite there not being any residents to displace in that area and despite the yearslong complaints calling for the city, state and private property owners to improve conditions and deter crime in that exact location.

In a prepared statement, Andrew Johnston—Salt Lake City's director of homeless policy and outreach—said the remaining, paved portions of the trail are scheduled to reopen in early December.

“Salt Lake City has been consulting closely with the Fairpark, law enforcement agencies, and community members through the trail closure this summer," Johnston said. "The construction beneath the North Temple Bridge is nearly complete. Law enforcement and the Fairgrounds have seen progress but are still seeing the need for more time to retain the progress in remediation of the section of that trail and ensure there won’t be a return to previous illicit activities.”

• Benjamin Wood
• An empty gravel lot and the Rocky Mountain Power campus can be seen from Fairpark Station, where a lack of nearby housing and amenities coincides with low transit ridership.