LEHI — About 300 Lehi-area residents attended a recent Utah Department of Transportation open house to learn about new changes to the Mountain View Corridor plan.

Usually, UDOT open houses draw closer to 100 people, but lately, the meetings about the proposed Mountain View Corridor have drawn more attention from residents and citizens groups who are concerned about the impact the road could have on their neighborhoods.

"I think the community down here is involved in the process, and they're very concerned about what might happen," said Nile Easton, spokesman for UDOT. "We're not seeing one overall consensus here; there's definitely a lot of different opinions about what transportation solution is going to be the best."

UDOT is considering three alternative options for the Mountain View Corridor, which will connect to I-15 in Utah County.

The options are: a freeway at 2100 North; a freeway at 1900 South; or three arterial connections, at Porter Rockwell Boulevard, 2100 North and 1900 South.

It is estimated that if UDOT builds a freeway on 2100 North in Lehi, 30-40 homes and businesses would need to be relocated, and 10-20 acres of wetlands will be impacted. UDOT estimates construction of the road — which would most likely carry up to 145,000 vehicles per day — will cost between $400 million and $500 million.

A freeway on 1900 South would impact between 70-80 acres of wetlands, UDOT estimates, and necessitate the relocation of 130-140 homes and businesses. The road is projected to carry up to 100,000 vehicles per day, and construction costs are estimated between $600 million and $700 million.

The arterials alignment could impact 60-70 acres of wetlands and require the relocation of about 80 homes and businesses, UDOT estimates. Together, the three roads could carry up to about 155,000 vehicles daily, according to UDOT.

According to Mountain View Corridor project manager Teri Newell, UDOT will now add the three alternatives to a draft document, which will summarize the project's two-year environmental impact study and help to identify a preferred alternative.

The draft document should be finished by fall, Newell said.

For each potential neighborhood that stands to be impacted by the road, there are residents who are upset by the possibility of living next to a six-lane highway and frustrated by the process of choosing a road.

At a recent meeting, a board was covered with large sticky notes written by residents who attended the meeting. There were a smattering of sentiments, one of which said, "I don't care where you put (the road), just start tomorrow."

Bonnie Clark, who has lived near 2100 North in Lehi for more than 30 years, said the timing of the road has almost come too late.

"I think the city should have prepared for this 15 years ago," Clark said. "I wish we had planned better as a community than we did. ... What they need is a permanent solution, and they need to get on it."

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