Farmington, UDOT at odds over road

Nine months after Farmington city officials rejected plans for a northward connector road from the Legacy Parkway, the state Department of Transportation has drafted a new proposal and wants to start buying land for the link.

But the proposal doesn't look much different than it did before, and residents are upset because they say UDOT didn't listen to concerns about loss of property and property values. Also, the proposed connector still bisects west Farmington neighborhoods.

"They're bringing back the same stuff," Jason Snow, a west Farmington resident, said Friday. "They can't do that."

On Thursday, about 200 west Farmington residents met with UDOT to discuss concerns and learn more about the proposal, which was selected over three other options. The road would run northward from a location west of I-15 and north of Glovers Lane. It would skirt the Davis County Fairgrounds, and then link with an extension of Legacy, known as Legacy North.

Snow said the connector would be a few hundred feet from his home. He wants city officials to reject UDOT's proposal when the agency presents the idea to the Planning Commission and asks for a needed amendment to the city's general plan.

"In talking to neighbors ... we believe it's got to be the local government that stands up to the state and says 'you're not going to bisect west Farmington,"' he said.

Farmington Mayor Scott Harbertson said Friday that city officials are "on the side" of residents. Tuesday, the city council dedicated $40,000 during budget negotiations to hire an independent engineering firm to study different options for the connector road.

"The city's governing body is not satisfied with the proposal," Harbertson said. "One of the things we want to look at is other options. It does bisect our city and we don't want that to happen."

UDOT said it would reconsider if Farmington found a better option but stands by its proposal.

"Extensive study has been done to this point and we feel it's the best option and we don't want to delay this any further," said UDOT spokesman Andy Neff in an interview Friday. "If their study shows a better way, we're open to change. We don't want to disturb the neighborhood, but we have a job to do."

If a location for the connector road can be determined, UDOT can begin purchasing and preserving land. The connector is not planned to be built for 10-20 years, but purchasing the land now will protect it from future development and costly home relocations, Neff said.

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