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New Fencing Planned Between Homeless Shelters And The Gateway

Nicole Nixon

A fence will soon go up between the Road Home shelter and The Gateway mall in downtown Salt Lake City. The Utah Transit Authority says it will pay about $42,000 to install it, while Salt Lake City spokesman Matthew Rojas says the City will pay “a few thousand dollars” to remove a mid-block crosswalk.

Rojas says the fence came at the request of the retail management firm Vestar, which purchased the Gateway last year. Vestar approached the city with concerns about safety along 200 south.

"A lot of people were jaywalking," Rojas says. "There have been a number of close calls between buses and trains and pedestrians. The city and UTA decided that appropriate action needed to be taken to prevent a worse incident."

Rojas says the fencing is not meant to deter the homeless population near the Road Home from accessing the outdoor mall.

A five-foot fence will go up on either side of the TRAX line on 200 South, between 400 West and 500 West.

A UTA Spokesman says construction on the fence could start as soon as next month.

Nicole Nixon holds a Communication degree from the University of Utah. She has worked on and off in the KUER Newsroom since 2013, when she first joined KUER as an intern. Nicole is a Utah native. Besides public radio, she is also passionate about beautiful landscapes and breakfast burritos.
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