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NORTH SALT LAKE — Some Davis County residents are sounding off about an eyesore that's developed along the foothills east of I-15. The complaints involve a wide swath dug into the earth to make way for a new natural gas pipeline.
As part of the Kern River Gas Apex Expansion Project, a 28-mile long, 36-inch wide natural gas pipeline will add capacity to the company's system — linking East Canyon with the Salt Lake International Airport, on its way to Las Vegas.
Some residents say they were caught off guard by the magnitude of the cut into the mountain.
"I'm disgruntled and disappointed," said North Salt Lake resident Dorothy Robertson. "I really had no idea it was going to be this close to the homes and to the families."
"One is, are they going to fix the scar on the mountain? And two, are they going to make sure it's safe, that there's not an accident when they fly over the homes?" said North Salt Lake resident Scott Robertson.
"You know our preference would have been a different Route. But after the studies they performed, the determined route is the best one," said North Salt Lake Mayor Len Arave. "Although it wasn't our preferred route, we've tried to live with it."
The company says it did conduct outreach to stakeholders and the community.
"We understand that it's inconvenient to people, and we're going to try to do this job and get it done as soon as we can and minimize that impact," said Chris Bias, director of expansion projects at Kern River Gas Transmission Project.
They say they expect the work to be done by September, then reseeding and planting of new trees will begin.
"So, you're seeing the scar at its biggest," Bias said. "Once the pipeline is installed, those contours will actually be restored. So where you see a big cut now, you'll actually see the original contour back."
The company insists it's trying to be a good neighbor. Some residents of North Salt Lake say it can prove that by putting this mountainside back the way it was when the project is completed.
Email: jdaley@ksl.com
