Layton OKs road work

LAYTON — The City Council has approved reconstruction on the final segment of West Gentile Street.

The street was entirely redone last year from Main Street to 2200 West. Now, the second phase this spring will go about 1.5 miles west, from 2200 West to 3700 West and the Syracuse border.

Cost of the project will be $3,915,038. That was under the engineer's estimate of $4.4 million.

Layton City Manager Alex Jensen said $1 million is currently budgeted for the project, and he hopes to have the remainder of the funds allocated in the next fiscal year budget for 2008-09 that begins in July.

"We're hoping funding will be available this year to do the entire project," he said.

Granite Construction Co. will be doing the work, which will include new utility lines and a wider road. Improved traffic flow and pedestrian safety will be the result.

Phase one of the West Gentile Street project was the city's largest-ever road project.

Jensen hopes this project won't take nearly as long as that one did.

Terry Coburn, Layton's public works director, agrees.

"It won't be near as big. I don't want to jinx it. It won't be nearly as ugly (as phase one)," he said.

He also said crews will be rushing this spring to rework the secondary water lines. They will need to be redone before April 15, when the water line is activated.

He said some of the project can be scaled back if less funding is available later this year.

The good news for residents of west Layton and south Syracuse is that with the new segment of West Hill Field Road now open, there's a closer detour than Gordon Avenue to get around the construction project on Gentile Street.

"We feel we'll have a better detour route," Coburn said.

Layton City Attorney Gary Crane said the majority of the land acquisition for the road widening is completed. Only two minor property rights remain to be worked out for the project.

Jensen also said that sometime in the future, Angel Street at Gentile Street will be rerouted so that it connects directly with nearby Sugar Street. Currently, the two streets are separated by the vacant Denver and Rio Grande railroad grade and are about 100 feet apart. However, there is no time line for that project, and it is likely years down the road.

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