No hurry on lake bridge

Any discussion of a proposal to build a bridge across Utah Lake needs to take place against the backdrop of population projections. The state expects that by 2050, Saratoga Springs will house 76,669 people and nearby Eagle Mountain will house 100,902. Meanwhile, Provo and Orem together will house about 265,000, and all of them will be part of a county of nearly 1.2 million.

If you're not familiar with Utah County geography, Provo and Orem are on the east side of the big lake, Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs are on the west.

People who spoke at a meeting sponsored recently by the Utah Valley Sierra Forum were, to no one's surprise, concerned mainly with the environmental impacts of the bridge. Some maintained that the bridge would add to air pollution, an assertion that seems to defy logic.

The people are coming. Previous population projections have, if anything, proved too conservative. Forcing people to drive slowly around the lake would lead to greater pollution than providing them a quick drive across the lake. Arguments that efficient roadways lead to population growth are irrelevant.

That said, we agree with those who say the state should conduct an environmental impact statement before agreeing to allow construction of the bridge. Because Utah Lake is state owned, the federal government is not involved and no such statement is required. A private concern, Utah Crossing Inc., is proposing to build the bridge and to charge tolls to pay for construction.

As with just about any other body of water in this arid state, Utah Lake is ecologically fragile. Because this is a private project whose leaders say they could build a six-mile, four-lane span from Orem to Saratoga Springs in three years, this has the feel of something that could be done hastily. And yet it would have a permanent impact on a large lake.

An EIS would at least assure that the project, if it goes forward, would be done correctly. The state also should carefully consider the private group's finances.

But once armed with that data, the state still has to weigh them against the value of a quick connection between two sides of a large and rapidly growing county.