UDOT seeks comments on plans to widen I-15

PROVO — Two open houses this week will give the public a chance to comment on plans to widen Interstate 15 through Utah County.

The Utah Department of Transportation recently finished the Draft Environmental Impact Study for the project. Open houses will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at American Fork Junior High School, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dixon Middle School in Provo. Comments will be taken until Jan. 11.

UDOT's preferred alternative would be to widen the freeway from the Bangerter Highway interchange to the University Parkway interchange to 12 lanes, six lanes each way. From University Parkway to the U.S. 6 interchange in Spanish Fork, the freeway would be widened to 10 lanes; from Spanish Fork to Benjamin it would be widened to eight lanes and from Benjamin to south Payson widened to six lanes. There would be no widening of the freeway south of Payson.

A frontage road system is also an option. The road would be from 800 South in Orem to Provo Center Street. The road would be split, southbound traffic on the west side of I-15 and northbound traffic on the east side, with occasional ramps onto the interstate. New interchanges would also be added in north Lehi near Thanksgiving Point and at 800 South in Orem.

Geoff Dupaix, region three spokesman for UDOT, said many other interchanges involved in the project could be fixed or completely redone.

"At some of the interchanges it (could be) expanding on an existing footprint, repositioned or realigned or completely replaced with new designs," he said.

The Payson Main Street interchange will be moved somewhat and the interchange at the Provo Center Street exit could see drastic changes, similar to the current design at University Parkway or the current design of Orem Center Street, Dupaix said. The Provo Center Street interchange has three different design options.

UDOT currently has no funding for the estimated $3.25 billion, 43-mile project. The Legislature will be discussing how the project can be funded in the upcoming legislative session and possibly subsequent sessions, Dupaix said.

"The important thing is we're at a point now we feel we've done our homework so we can submit our recommendations," he said.

He added that he and his colleagues at UDOT hope to see many people at the two hearings to add their thoughts, comments and suggestions and to gain more information. The study can also be accessed on the Internet and includes an interactive map, which shows the different options for each interchange.

"This is a great tool so people can go online at their own convenience and look at the interchanges and what we're proposing," he said.

Those who can't attend the open houses can make comments and view the interactive map at www.udot.utah.gov/i15utahcounty.

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E-mail: csmith@desnews.com