This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dimple Dell Nature Park, known as a natural getaway for horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking within the urban confines of Salt Lake County, just got better.
Tuesday, a tunnel was completed under 1300 East just north of 10600 South that allows riders and walkers to enjoy the length of the 644-acre park without crossing the busy boulevard. The Dimple Dell preserve extends from 3000 East to 300 East down the Dry Creek drainage in Sandy.
The new tunnel is 14 feet tall and 14 feet wide and is part of a $33.7 million project that also improved 1300 East. Among other things, it added left turn lanes to 1300 East, one of Sandy's major thoroughfares. The project was coordinated by the Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake County and Sandy City.
The tunnel is something Sandy and Salt Lake County have been looking forward to for some time, said Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan.
"I've always thought of it as Sandy's Central Park," he said of Dimple Dell. "You can go from the hustle and bustle to something pretty pristine."
The park is owned and operated by Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, which has planned the tunnel since the mid-1980s, said Wayne Johnson, the department's associate director.
"It's huge for the park," he said of the tunnel. "It's now all joined."
In the 1970s, Salt Lake County bought four parcels that make up the park. But 700 East and 1300 East always divided it, Johnson said. A bridge that accommodates horses as well as bikers and hikers was built over 700 East eight years ago.
"Now it's a huge loop for folks, whether they're equestrians, bike riders or hikers," Johnson said.
Sandy resident Randy Newton rides his horse in Dimple Dell and said the tunnel allows riders and hikers to ply the entire park without the hazard of crossing 1300 East. Previously, he had used only portions of the park east of 1300 East because getting west of the busy throughway was too difficult and dangerous.
"The county and state and Sandy City did a real nice job," said Newton, who is a member of the equestrian organization Back Country Horsemen. "The tunnel is high enough and wide enough so it doesn't scare the horses. And it's got good footing and lighting."
The tunnel also is a step toward creating a link between the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and Jordan River Parkway.
Sandy earlier funded an I-15 underpass at 10000 South, Dolan said. Preliminary planning has begun to cross State Street and railroad tracks that would complete the link between the shoreline trail and the river parkway.