From Deseret News archives:
Residents debate work at Geneva Road forum
The Utah Department of Transportation held an open house for the proposed changes to Geneva Road, hoping to get as much public comment as possible.
A few hundred people showed up to the event, and many left comments about the proposals and their feelings toward them.
"Most of what's being discussed will affect me," said Scott Johnson, an Orem resident. He added that the proposed changes will "change the dynamics of my neighborhood."
Johnson attended the open house to get a better understanding of the proposal and to do his part being active in the community.
"We can all do something," he said.
The Geneva Road proposals range from fixups for the road in some of the existing two- and three-lane areas to widening the road to seven lanes in others. UDOT is looking at several alternatives: a no-action alternative; a transportation system management alternative that would include improvements such as turn lanes, more traffic signals, encouraging community efforts such as biking and telecommuting, mass transit and use of other routes; improving other area roadways and/or building a new road; and boosting some sections to three-, five- and seven-lane configurations.
Growth in Vineyard, Provo, Lindon and Pleasant Grove is putting more demand on Geneva Road and improvements are needed, said Geoff Dupaix, region three spokesman for UDOT.
Many of the residents attending the open house acknowledge the need for a wider road, but waiting to see what the final proposal will be can be frustrating. Ron Rupper, an Orem resident who owns property on the corner of Geneva Road and Provo's Center Street, said the uncertainty about the project is creating difficulties in trying to sell his land and leaves him up in the air.
"I know the road needs improvement, but right now I'm not 100 percent sure how it'll impact me and my family," he said.
Dupaix said a preferred alternative will be chosen by the summer of 2008 and work on the project should begin in 2009.
E-mail: csmith@desnews.com
