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TOOELE — Tooele County is planning to turn miles of paved road into gravel because the county can't afford to repair potholes on the road.
Giant potholes a couple inches deep dot Faust Road. Shannon Fowles lives on Faust Road but drives to West Jordan for work. He said he can't avoid them, and neither can those who want to visit Faust Creek Farms, which he owns.
"We're upset because we travel it twice a day," he said.
He thinks something needs to be done, but not what the county has planned.
"It's gonna affect everything," he said.
Starting June 24, 11.5 miles of Faust and two miles of Pony Express will be shut down while crews turn the asphalt into gravel.
People won't want to be on gravel.
–Shannon Fowles
The project will cost $30,000. The county would have needed $92,000 to repair the asphalt.
"There's a lot of budget constraints, obviously, so there's no money to repair the road," said Tooele County Spokesman Wade Matthews.
The switch from asphalt to gravel will mean less upkeep and save county dollars in the future, but Fowles is worried it will result in fewer customers for him and his farm.
"People won't want to be on gravel," he said. "We'll have to find different ways to get people to come out."
Faust and part of Pony Express will be closed for about a month starting June 24. Drivers will have to use SR 36 and SR 73 for an alternate route.
