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PROVO -- Provo City opened up the final section of a construction project on Lakeshore Drive. The new road and bridge connects 3110 W. Center Street to 400 N. Lakeshore Drive on the north side of the Provo River; completing the only north-south connection in west Provo besides Geneva Road.
Emergency responders at the ribbon cutting said the new road will help them arrive on the scene of emergencies faster than before.
Fire Chief Blair Camp said, "This really is a great day for us in the emergency services arena because by nature we don't like dead end roads anyway, we don't like to have to turn around, especially if we are on our way to an emergency."
He said this final section of Lakeshore Drive gives emergency responder another option to get emergency vehicles across the north part of the city rather than to have to go around to the state park or back to Geneva Road.
Camp said, "Most of the time, seconds count when we are responding to an emergency."
Merrill Bingham, public works director for the city of Provo, said, "This is a great occasion. I have been a long believer in the best way of handling traffic is to provide people with lots of options."
Residents will also have better access to the Provo River Parkway Trail, the Provo Municipal Airport, and Utah Lake State Park.
