From Deseret News archives:

Citizens group wants to hit the brakes on corridor

Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 12:18 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
LEHI — Like hundreds of headlights shining down the highway, it's not hard to see the complaints of landowners living in the way of a potential Mountain View Corridor.

But the formation of Citizens Organized for Smarter Transportation, which has heard from some 2,000 residents opposed to a six-lane freeway running through their neighborhoods, could come as a surprise to Utah's Department of Transportation, which has proposed the road as part of the corridor.

The citizens group plans to hold a rally Wednesday — the day before a scheduled UDOT Mountain View Corridor open house — to gain support for its cause.

"(COST) is a very, very neat organization," said developer Dave Klock, a developer who helped form the action group. "You have so many diverse groups that are joining hands. You've got developers and landowners and you've got conservationists and hunters and fishermen. You've got a whole wide variety of people here who are supporting what we're supporting."

UDOT has been having — and will continue to have — open houses to gather public comment about the proposed corridor, but until recently no Utah County-based organized opposition to the road has come forward.

Story continues below
In Salt Lake County, however, Utahns for Safe and Efficient Transportation, a group created by several mayors of cities in western Salt Lake County and the Utah Trucking Association, surfaced about six months ago. The group is opposed to the possibility of making the Mountain View Corridor a toll road.

As part of an ongoing environmental-impact study, UDOT officials are planning the open house Thursday to "get the public up to speed on what's happened in the last couple of months," Mountain View Corridor project manager Teri Newell said.

For almost a year, UDOT has presented several different options for the Mountain View Corridor in Utah County, one of which proposes alignments that could mean the relocation of 97 homes in the area and run through government-protected wetlands. Other options could affect fewer homes, but UDOT has not selected a preferred option.

Until one road is identified as the preferred option, Newell says UDOT will continue to look for public input about roads as they are being considered. It's important to keep the public updated and gather input as different options for the road are explored, Newell says, but ever-changing information about the project is something that concerns Klock. As issues arise with different road alignments, new locations are considered and presented to the public.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Deseret Morning News graphic

previousnext

Latest comments

Y.'s Bauman receives award

Major kudo's to Bauman as well. You were fantastic all year, and way to be a...

Go Pro, young man, Go Pro! Next year is huge rebuilding year what with...

What about the noises?Utah county can't have a bunch of wild youngsters...

I was hoping he would go to a different league. I think he is more suited...

U of Deseret had a very easy game against Michigan. They should also do well...

The average salary has increased every decade, if that is not tricle down,...

Ute fan here rooting for Pitta to win. Great player.

[And to think I grew up to be a boring old aerospace engineer]. I remember...

What was the point of the increase? Has anyone in this adminisration got a clue?

How do YBU fans have the nerve to call out Utah in basketball? Can any of...

Advertisements