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LEHI — The Lehi Planning Commission is recommending an off-shore freeway on the north side of Utah Lake as an option for solving traffic in the area.
A lot of people use Pioneer Crossing to get from Utah Valley to Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain and the commission is recommending an off-shore freeway be considered as an option. Its recommendation will go to the Utah Department of Transportation for consideration along with other alternatives determined from an environmental impact study.
Lehi traffic engineer Luke Seegmiller explained in a Thursday commission meeting that the plans are just concepts, indicating a need for transportation improvements.
Seegmiller said having the off-shore freeway on the master transportation plan gives residents an opportunity to provide input on the issue before the environmental impact study is completed. Commissioners urge the public to share feedback with UDOT, as well as state representatives and senators.
UDOT recently completed a corridor study of Pioneer Crossing, which evaluated whether the road can handle the future growth of the nearby cities that use it daily. The study discussed recent improvements made on the road with traffic signal timing, but acknowledged the road is "over capacity" for a five-lane through road.
Pioneer Crossing is built for 35,000 trips a day, but is experiencing up to 58,000 trips a day. "We are double the traffic that should be on that road," Seegmiller said.
The population is projected to double in Lehi and Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain, combined, are estimated to quadruple in population over the next few decades, so the traffic issue is only going to become exponentially worse, he said.
"We need two Pioneer Crossings. If the population quadruples, we have eight Pioneer Crossings needed," Seegmiller added.
The corridor study offered potential solutions like making Pioneer Crossing a six- or eight-lane freeway with proposed interchanges at 2300 West and Center Street. This would directly impact around 60 residents and dozens of businesses located in the area of the proposed road expansion. Another option is a Pony Express Parkway extension that would connect with 1900 South.
Working with UDOT to manage neighboring cities' traffic increases the quality of life for Lehi residents, Seegmiller said.
Most of the proposed off-shore freeway would actually be located in Saratoga Springs, not Lehi, though the proposed location is not set in stone, he said.
Almost every public comment during Thursday's commission meeting mentioned environmental concerns about the off-shore freeway, along with other issues.
Lehi City Council candidate Michelle Stallings voiced worry about the environmental impact the freeway would have being so close to the mouth of the Jordan River, and how it could be affected by flooding.
Gabe Lifferth, president of the Utah Valley Aeromodelers club, said there is a model airplane airport located along the Jordan River, close to the proposed roadway. He voiced safety concerns with having the airport so close to a freeway and hopes the freeway will not ruin people's ability to participate in model airplane activities.
Jeremy Howlett lives in a small Saratoga Springs community along the north shore of the lake. He said he did not want the recommendation to go through because the freeway would ruin the views, wildlife and quietness of the area that drew him and others to move there.
"This is not the right option. The only way to curb numbers is public transit. Why is public transportation not in this conversation?" he asked. Instead of just "continually congesting" the roads with cars, Howlett said there needs to be public transit options that are sustainable in the long term.
Todd Robbins agreed, saying the city should become less reliant on cars and focus more on making communities walkable and accessible to public transit.
The commission said the Utah Transit Authority participated in the corridor study and has decided that by 2050, there will not be enough demand in Cedar Valley and Saratoga Springs area for public transit. A bus route could be implemented, but a TRAX system is not anticipated in future plans.
Those in favor of the freeway argued the area needs more transportation options and the freeway is a trade-off the city has to take.
One commission member said the discussion is an attempt to be proactive on the issue and to "have all options on the table" moving forward. Any traffic solution would have impacts on Lehi residents, which is why having the environmental study evaluate every option is so crucial, he said.
The commission discussed other places around the country that have used renowned engineers to create roads in environmentally sensitive areas and said it is possible to accomplish the same feat here.
