From Deseret News archives:
Utah County adding link to Utah Lake trail
The Utah County Commission recently approved spending $584,391 on a 1 1/2-mile section of trail that will start at the Vineyard boat harbor and travel south past the old Geneva Steel plant. The portion of trail will be paved and provide access to a new beach that should be finished by December, according to Utah County engineer Clyde Naylor.
"We wanted to give a little better access to the lake, so people can enjoy the wildlife and the birds and get to exercise and enjoy the views of the lake," Naylor said. "The biggest advantage (of the trail) in this particular section is it gives a lot of people immediate access (to the lake) because it has a road along it."
Construction on the project will begin immediately, Naylor said.
One of the reasons this portion of trail is so expensive is a section of road in that area will have to be moved slightly to the east to accommodate the 10-foot-wide trail. A parking lot will be built at the northern end of the trail to facilitate access. The county also will be bringing in sand and landscaping to create the beach, which is costly.
The rising cost of asphalt is another factor in the price of the trail, but Utah County Commissioner Steve White says investing the county's money in an around-the-lake trail system is well worth it.
"The more (the county grows), the more a country road isn't a safe place to recreate, but a trail is," White said. "It's really important to have recreational opportunities. As our lives get more stressed out and we eat fewer meals around the table as a family, it's nice to have a place to go where you can go and relax for a while and let the stress go away."
White said the county has a plan to invest some $500,000 in the lake trail every year for the next 20 years to build separate portions that will eventually circumnavigate the lake and connect the Provo River to the Jordan River.
So far, portions of the trail have been built in Lindon, Provo and Saratoga Springs, but the overall project is slow-going.
"We're making progress," White said. "(Ten million dollars to complete the trail) is a lot of money, but over 20 years, it's not a lot of money. If we were to do it all at once, we couldn't afford it. It's just exorbitant."
E-mail: achoate@desnews.com
