This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
After winnowing down 64 proposals, the Utah Department of Transportation on Tuesday released its final three alternative routes for the West Davis Corridor — the northward extension of Legacy Highway.
The new highway would run from Farmington to just north of Ogden, roughly paralleling I-15 but sometimes many miles west of it. It will carry the same highway designation — S.R.67 — as Legacy Highway and the under-construction Mountain View Corridor in Salt Lake and Utah counties.
UDOT now plans to develop a draft environmental impact statement on those final alternatives during the next year before more review, public comment and eventual selection of a final route. It scheduled a series of open houses next week to explain the routes and take public comments before proceeding.
All alternatives would use the same route in some areas. In Kaysville and Layton, for example, all would take the same route on the west side of town. "It's a pretty developed area, so the only option there is west of town," said project manager Randy Jefferies.
Two different options are proposed about how to connect to Legacy Highway and I-15 in Farmington.
One would connect all those highways in a major interchange near Glovers Lane and also create a new highway on the west side of Farmington near the Great Salt Lake. The other option would connect the highways farther north at Shepherd Lane, and avoid the highway spur around western Farmington.
Possible routes diverge more at the northern end of the highway through Syracuse, Hooper and West Haven — with three main possible routes proposed in areas between 3000 West and 5900 West. Two options proceed straight north to 12th South in Marriott-Slaterville, while another takes a diagonal route through West Haven back to I-15 in Ogden.
"That diagonal route was actually suggested by the public in earlier meetings," Jefferies said. "That shows why public input is needed, and why we invite the public to our open houses next week."
The alternatives are projected to cost roughly the same, each in the range of $400 million to $525 million. Depending on the option, they would require purchase of between 98 and 137 existing homes. They affect between 36 and 54 acres of wetlands and between 11 and 13 archaeological sites.
UDOT studies show that the alternatives now proposed would decrease miles traveled in congestion in the area by 52 percent by 2040 compared to not building the highway; would reduce hours in congestion by 44 percent; and would reduce total daily delay by 26 percent.
Long-range regional transportation plans expect construction to begin on the project sometime in the next 10 years. "However, right now no funding is identified for construction," Jefferies said.
He said upcoming studies will also look at options for building trails — similar to what was done with Legacy Highway — or how to connect current trail systems to improve options for bicyclists and pedestrians. UDOT also will study how to tie into and improve use of mass transit in the area. —
A closer look
Open houses • People may drop in anytime between 4:30 and 8 p.m. Open houses are planned for Tuesday at West Point City Hall, 3200 W. 300 North; Wednesday at Legacy Events Center, 151 S. 1100 West in Farmington; and Thursday at West Haven Elementary, 4385 S. 3900 West in West Haven. —
Online
O UDOT is also planning an online-only open house Tuesday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. with a link available at udot.utah.gov/westdavis. That website also contains other information and maps about the project.