UDOT releases West Davis Corridor road plan

KAYSVILLE — Commuters in Davis and Weber counties now have an idea of what their drive could look like with a potential new highway.

The Utah Department of Transportation unveiled the latest alternatives Thursday for the proposed West Davis Corridor freeway.

UDOT said the highway is needed to mitigate forecasted growth along the corridor, while some area residents and conservation groups have expressed concerns about the project claiming it would displace families and threaten natural wetlands.

At issue is a proposed 24-mile long roadway along the West Davis Corridor that would run from Centerville to Marriott-Slaterville between the Great Salt Lake on the west to I-15 on the east. The cost of the project is estimated to be in the range of $440 million to $480 million.

UDOT presented three alternative proposals to stakeholders during a meeting in Kaysville. Two of the alternatives would involve displacing residents and impacting farmland and wetlands, while the third was a nonbuild option that would leave the area "as-is."

Some property owners are angry over the proposal to build a four-lane highway through their neighborhoods — which would result in those families being forced out and their homes being torn down.

"The hard part of eminent domain is that it is always going to affect somebody," said Bruce Bassett with citizens group savefarmington.org. "(The plan) is either going to take (my property) out or put a freeway right in my front yard."

In addition, environmental advocates claim the highway would damage nearby wetlands along the proposed route — a sentiment that many local property owners like Bassett share.

"A lot of us bought there because of the wide open spaces," Bassett said. "For that reason, we feel like we side with the environmental folks because … of the wetlands, the birds and everything else."

Chris Montague, director of conservation programs for the Nature Conservancy, said he was "disappointed" by some of UDOT's proposed routes that encroach on the Great Salt Lake shoreland preserve. But he noted that there is still time to make changes to the routes that could mitigate the current environmental concerns.

UDOT said it will continue to meet with citizens groups in an effort to address their concerns.

The agency said the road would alleviate 6,840 collective hours per day motorists spend sitting in traffic. The idea has been under consideration for almost 50 years as well as studied at least twice over that time.