Utah Lake bridge application moves forward

PROVO — The Department of Natural Resources announced Monday that it is on its next step in deciding whether the proposed bridge across Utah Lake will be permitted.

But while the Utah Crossing application was accepted as complete and will go forward in the decision-making process, the competing bid to leave that part of the lake undeveloped was rejected this month due to incompleteness, said Jason Curry, spokesman for the department.

Curry said the department notified the citizen groups (made up of the Utah Waterfowl Association, Utah Valley Earth Forum, Bonneville School of Sailing and Seamanship, FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake and the Sierra Club Utah Chapter) that the application they sent in was incomplete in April and then again in August. The groups did submit some additional information but not enough, he said.

"The groups did not give a full estimation of the financial aspects of the proposal," said Curry, explaining that the groups did not have a calculation of project cost and a budget table.

But Marc Heileson, a representative for the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club, said he thought $0 would be enough of a budget for the state and said he was disappointed in the rejection.

"Their process is institutionally set up for projects," Heileson said. "And they basically rejected our proposal because we had an insufficient budget. We are surprised they punned it on this technicality."

But technicalities are what they have to work with, said Dick Buehler, director of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, who will make the final say on whether the bridge is a go or no-go. He said if the department doesn't follow the rules it sets out, it can get sued.

"We have to follow policy and statute in everything we do; that way we can defend our decisions," Buehler said.

Even though the citizen groups' application was rejected, Curry said that doesn't mean the state won't ultimately decide to keep the piece of land in its natural state because if the bridge proposal is rejected, that is what will happen.

Currently the state is compiling an interdisciplinary team to do an environment and feasibility study of the bridge proposal. The team will be made up of experts in various fields including those of ecology, transportation, environmental quality, economics and engineering.

"We will be taking our time to analyze thoroughly all of the potential impacts and benefits of a possible bridge," Buehler said.