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| Utah State Route 36 | |
|---|---|
| State | UT |
| Type | SR |
| Route | 36 |
| Length mi | 16.934 |
| Established | 1910s |
| Direction a | South |
| Terminus a | Tooele |
| Direction b | North |
| Terminus b | Oquirrh Mountains near SR‑73 |
| Counties | Tooele County |
Utah State Route 36 is a state highway in Tooele County, Utah connecting the city of Tooele with communities at the base of the Oquirrh Mountains. The route serves industrial sites, commuter corridors, and access to recreational areas near Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake Desert. SR 36 links with regional arterials that connect to Interstate 80, Interstate 15, and state highways that serve the Salt Lake Valley and Utah County.
State Route 36 begins near central Tooele and proceeds northward along a corridor that passes near the Tooele Army Depot, Tooele Valley, and areas of Duchesne County agricultural land before turning toward the Oquirrh Mountains. The alignment skirts industrial facilities associated with Kennecott Utah Copper and provides direct access to residential neighborhoods tied to Hill Air Force Base commuter patterns. Traveling north, SR 36 crosses corridors that connect to Interstate 80 via State Route 36 (Old) interchanges and intersects arterials leading to Salt Lake City, West Jordan, and Sandy. The highway affords views of the Bonneville Salt Flats to the west and vistas of the Wasatch Range to the east, and it terminates near mining and reclamation sites at the foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains close to Bingham Canyon Mine access roads.
The corridor that became SR 36 traces back to early 20th‑century routes used for mining traffic to Bingham Canyon Mine and wagon routes servicing Tooele Valley. With the advent of state highway planning in the 1910s and the expansion of the U.S. Highway System in the 1920s, the route received formal designation to link Tooele with mineral extraction and railheads tied to the Union Pacific Railroad and Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. During the mid‑20th century, SR 36 was realigned to accommodate growth associated with Defense Logistics Agency supply operations and the development of Hill Air Force Base and Tooele Army Depot logistics. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw upgrades prompted by suburban expansion originating from Salt Lake City, coordination with Utah Department of Transportation planning, and modifications related to Interstate 80 interchange improvements influenced by increased freight traffic bound for the Port of Oakland and western corridor routes.
The route intersects regional and local highways that provide connections to major corridors: - Southern terminus at city streets in Tooele, providing links toward Dugway Proving Ground access roads and local connectors to Erda. - Junctions with state and county roads serving Rush Valley and Grantsville, which interface with traffic destined for Utah State Route 138 and State Route 36 (old alignments) used historically by U.S. Route 40 traffic. - Intersections providing connections toward Interstate 80 and feeder routes to Salt Lake City International Airport via West Valley City and Herriman access points. - Northern terminus near access roads for Bingham Canyon Mine and links with roads toward SR‑73 and routes that serve Lehi and Provo commuter flows.
Traffic on SR 36 comprises a mix of commuter vehicles, heavy trucks serving mining and industrial operations, and seasonal recreational traffic bound for desert and mountain trailheads near the Oquirrh Mountains and Bonneville Speedway. Peak volumes correlate with shift changes at nearby industrial employers such as Kennecott Utah Copper and logistics peaks tied to freight movements along routes feeding Interstate 80. The corridor experiences modal interactions with bus routes serving Tooele County Transit District and is monitored by Utah Department of Transportation traffic counts for pavement management, safety programs, and congestion mitigation projects influenced by regional growth trends in Salt Lake County suburbs.
Planned improvements include corridor widening, intersection enhancements, and safety upgrades coordinated by the Utah Department of Transportation in partnership with Tooele County officials and regional planning bodies such as the Wasatch Front Regional Council. Projects under consideration are intended to improve freight access to mining operations like Bingham Canyon Mine and to accommodate residential expansion emanating from Salt Lake City sprawl toward Rush Valley. Proposals involve bridge and interchange modernization modeled after recent upgrades on Interstate 15 and Interstate 80, multimodal integration inspired by FrontRunner (Utah) commuter rail planning, and pavement rehabilitation programs funded through state and federal transportation grants aligned with Federal Highway Administration priorities.
Category:State highways in Utah Category:Transportation in Tooele County, Utah