PROVO — Projections say Utah County will be home to more than 1 million people by 2040, a fact that has city and county officials caught up in a juggling act over how to best control and order population growth patterns.

One west shore developer says a causeway across Utah Lake (something that has been discussed off and on for years) could bring some balance to the process.

"I'm not here to argue pro-growth. I'm here to try and harness growth," said development consultant David K. Gardner as he addressed the Utah Lake Study Committee on Thursday. Gardner is working on a west-side planned community in the Mosida Orchards area that he hopes will ultimately house 50,000 people in 14 neighborhoods spread over 3,554 acres.

Gardner told the panel his group is even willing to put money on the table to make the project happen.

Gardner said the best approach would be hiking building assessment fees. Because land is a lot less expensive on the west side of the lake, including an assessment fee earmarked for the causeway project would not pose a major impediment for developers marketing their projects. He also suggested imposing a toll for vehicles using the causeway. Gardner said that effort has to be coupled with public sector support and urged officials to consider creating a Utah Lake Authority to pull the project and participants together.

"A causeway is an opportunity to help channel the growth that's going to come anyway," Gardner said. "Once people move there (the west shore), they will use the causeway. They will pay the toll."

The money collected from an estimated 29,200 daily trips across the causeway could be used to pay for construction bonds and also generate revenue for other lake improvements, Gardner said. He estimates up to $400 million could be generated over 25 years from impact fees and toll charges.

Gardner favors building a two-lane causeway that would align directly with either Provo's Center Street or the Provo Towne Centre mall area. The proposed causeway would be a series of bridges with culverts placed every 500 feet to allow water movement between the two sections of the lake. He estimated the cost at $102 million.

Dan Nelson, director of Regional Planning for Mountainland Association of Governments, said he and others are studying possible freeway routes along the west side of the lake, some of which include a south end multiple-lane bridge across the lake. He said, however, such an endeavor will be tremendously expensive — between $300 million and $475 million for materials alone. Buying land for the right of way and building the approaches would be an additional cost.

"Of course, practically anything's feasible if you want it badly enough and you throw enough money at it," Nelson said.