Lindon fears freeway's impact

LINDON — A proposed freeway is poised to offer traffic relief for Utah County congestion, but folks in Lindon are worried about the future impact of such a major thoroughfare on their city.

Designs for the road have the large freeway running west of I-15 as it comes south from Point of the Mountain. Upon reaching Lindon, several lanes of traffic would cut across the city to join up with I-15.

The Utah Department of Transportation has met with Lindon and Pleasant Grove city officials twice in the past four weeks to present the preliminary sketches of the Mountain View Corridor and address concerns.

City officials have voiced their worries about a giant road cutting in half a prime spot of Lindon real estate — north of 400 North and west of I-15 — where the city is hoping to attract new businesses.

The 230-acre commercial property would be less appealing for larger retailers bisected by the road or with low visibility because of a raised highway, said Adam Cowie, Lindon City planning and zoning director.

City officials also are concerned about so many drivers coming through Lindon, especially if the majority are headed for Orem and Provo, said Lindon Councilwoman Lindsay Bayless.

"(We) are open to being a player," said Lindon Mayor Jeff Acerson, "but I don't want to take the whole impact."

In a previous meeting, City Council members suggested that, instead of 400 North, perhaps the road reunion take place south of Lindon, closer to Orem, the direction the majority of traffic is headed.

Those concerns led UDOT to explore two alternate routes that would move the freeway farther south to 200 North in Lindon or 1600 North in Orem.

Those options, however, would have greater wetland impacts, force the relocation of more businesses and create safety concerns with merging traffic because of the shorter distance between freeway ramps, said Matt Sibul, a consultant hired by UDOT to work on the project.

There's also a cost issue, Sibul said. The 200 North alternative would increase the project price tag by an estimated $10.3 million. The 1600 North option would result in a huge increase — between $150 million and $250 million — because it also would require a new collector/distributor system to mitigate traffic.

That leaves the 400 North option, which UDOT project manager Teri Newell says best addresses Lindon's concerns and the increasing transportation needs of the region.

"There is a regional need to move people," Newell said. "It may not be the best for every individual city, but (the best for the) region as a whole."