From Deseret News archives:
Eagle Mountain seeks traffic-flow solutions
S.R. 73 is sole link to I-15; cars often bumper-to-bumper
The city hosted an open house at Eagle Mountain City Hall, with representatives from the Utah Department of Transportation and other involved parties present to field questions and inform the public of what is in the works in the coming years.
Currently, residents of Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain have state Road 73 as their sole connection to I-15, causing daily bumper-to-bumper traffic on the stretch of road that has proven sorely inadequate for the booming communities' needs.
"People just want to see that there's not just one way out of here," said Linda Peterson, community relations coordinator for Eagle Mountain. "People have been happy to see that there are options out there, that plans are in the works."
Those plans are coming along but may take longer to reach fruition than most residents would like. UDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are conducting an environmental impact study on the Mountain View Corridor, a proposed highway and transit corridor for northwestern Utah County. Factors including impact on the wetlands north of Utah Lake prompted creation of three alternatives for the corridor. Due to budget constraints and the timetable for approval of the required environmental impact statement, construction will not begin anytime soon.
"It depends on the money; that's a big constraint," said Terry Newell, UDOT project manager for the Mountain View Corridor. "If we had all the money we needed, the summer of 2009 is the earliest dirt would be flying."
The first alternative involves construction of a southern freeway that would follow the west end of the valley before skirting the northern edge of Utah Lake and eventually connecting with the existing Pleasant Grove/Lindon I-15 interchange. A second option would stay away from the wetlands north of the lake. A freeway would be constructed across northern Utah County on 2100 North in Lehi, lessening impact concerns on the wetlands and reducing the number of relocated homes. The third alternative proposes construction of three different east-west arterials across Utah County at Porter Rockwell Boulevard, 2100 North and 1900 South, with each arterial providing three lanes in each direction.
"The three alternatives we have would solve the traffic problem in different ways," Newell said. "That's part of what we have to weigh now. We aren't without issues on any of these alignments."
Notwithstanding the difficulties involved, many residents will be happy for any relief they can get to the daily traffic nightmare.
"I don't think there would be any resistance from anybody in Eagle Mountain for any program that is chosen," said Richard Shelley, an Eagle Mountain resident who commutes daily to Salt Lake County. "I just want to see a timeline or when we're going to see some relief."
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com
