2 cities see an I-15 boon

PLEASANT GROVE — Some cities want to ease the commute for their residents using a new I-15 interchange here and hope to get a little economic boost out of the deal.

Pleasant Grove and Lindon are working to provide the additional roads that will expand the versatility of the interchange and possibly attract new business to the surrounding vacant fields.

Lindon officials want 10 acres of land to build a three-lane road, Lindon's 700 North, that would extend into the city and connect to State Street, said Mayor Larry Ellertson.

Pleasant Grove is planning a road that will turn north and connect with State Street at 2000 West, which continues into American Fork and Highland, passing American Fork Hospital, the Mount Timpanogos Temple and Lone Peak High School.

Connector roads leading from the interchange will help reduce traffic on American Fork's busy 500 East interchange, officials said. But first, the cities have to acquire the land to build the roads.

The cities have $3 million from state money that was set aside when the interchange was built specifically for the connector roads.

However, it is not enough to buy the land and build both roads, said Frank Mills, Pleasant Grove city administrator.

If the cities acquire the land, construction of the roads could cost up to $6 million. Additional money could come from impact fees or issued bonds, which would allow the roads to be built by next summer, Mills said.

The cities are negotiating with property owners for the necessary land.

But if landowners don't want to sell their property, then Mills said the roads won't be completed until developers offer to buy the land, delaying the proposed projects by several years.

Officials are asking current property owners to allow construction on their land, offering to reimburse the owners through money collected from impact fees as development occurs, said Gary Clay, Pleasant Grove finance officer.

"The interest on that land after development would be worth much more than what we would buy it for now," Clay said.

Besides convenience for the cities, these roads will alleviate the traffic going to American Fork on 500 East and someday be a major thoroughfare as development occurs, Ellertson said.

"It will help alleviate traffic on the freeway and improve the flow of traffic to Pleasant Grove and Lindon," he said.

But Carl Wanlass, city administrator in American Fork, said that he doesn't know if the connector roads will help decrease traffic there.

The city's heavy traffic problem was supposed to be alleviated with the construction of the interchange, but they are still congested, he said.