Syracuse wants more information on wetlands along West Davis Corridor

SYRACUSE — City officials want the Utah Department of Transportation to reevaluate areas of Syracuse that were designated as wetlands — as well as those that were not — during studies for the West Davis Corridor project.

Troy Moyes of Syracuse's community development department said studies have not been comprehensive enough for city leaders to make a decision on which of the preferred alignments for the west-side highway — if any — should be endorsed by the city.

"The intent is to make sure all routes are on a level playing field so the best decision is made for the city," Moyes said during a City Council work session Tuesday.

In February, UDOT unveiled three alternatives for the West Davis Corridor — a planned four-lane, divided highway that would connect with I-15 and Legacy Parkway on the south and rejoin I-15 in Weber County at the north end.

Syracuse is one of a dozen communities in Davis and Weber counties that would be directly affected by the highway. In all, at least 98 residential properties and one business would need to be acquired by UDOT to build out the road, as well as more than 36 acres of wetlands, 11 archaeological sites, six trails, three public parks, 31 acres of high-quality wildlife habitat and 28 acres of 100-year floodplain.

A few hundred people packed the City Council chambers Tuesday night to weigh in on UDOT's plans and let their elected officials know how the respective alignments would affect their homes, their businesses, their neighborhoods or their farms.

"This city was founded on agriculture," Syracuse resident Josh Winward said, noting that all three alignments would run through long-standing farms. "We can't go out and destroy that which we were founded upon."

City leaders also are considering taking action similar to that of neighboring West Point, which last week rejected all three proposed alignments for the highway and encouraged UDOT to reconsider a route that uses Bluff Road — the preferred alignment for the Legacy Parkway extension in 2001.

West Point city officials say the alignment has been in the city's plans for nearly 30 years, and efforts have been made to preserve the right of way. UDOT officials say the route was shifted to the west to avoid wetland areas.

"Moving the road won't preserve wetlands," West Point Mayor Erik Craythorne said. "In 20 years, the area will be filled with homes. It would be better to build the road within the 2001 corridor and create more wetlands of a higher quality elsewhere."