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LEHI — Lehi and its surrounding communities continue to grow at a rapid rate. As a result, city and state planners are working ahead on significant road projects to ease congestion.
"We have amazing growth taking place," said Shawn Seager, director of regional planning for the Mountainland Association of Governments.
The area around Lehi has been called the epicenter for growth in Utah. Standing at the park-and-ride at Timpanogos Highway, Seager points to the business and residential growth that continues to fill the area.
"This entire Thanksgiving Point business park is almost built out on the west side of I-15," he said. "Now, you see that same construction taking place on the east side of I-15."
On an average day, more than 23,000 cars drive the Timpanogos Highway, and 156,000 pass through on I-15.
What's driving the growth?
This entire Thanksgiving Point business park is almost built out on the west side of I-15. Now, you see that same construction taking place on the east side of I-15.
–Shawn Seager, director of regional planning for the Mountainland Association of Governments
"All of the commercial and residential development that is taking place here at Point of the Mountain, not just in Utah County but also in South Salt Lake County," said Seager.
Cranes and construction crews are at work around every corner. The Timpanogos Highway interchange was rebuilt several years ago, and already needs traffic relief during peak hours.
But the expansion of Frontrunner and several projects on the state's long-range transportation plan should help.
An I-15 overpass at 2300 West is in the works in five to 10 years.
"That will basically be a connection from the east side of Lehi to the west side of Lehi," he said.
That will move a lot of the non-interstate traffic out of the Timpanogos Highway interchange.
"That takes those trips that would have gone through that interchange and takes them and puts them on an overpass so they don't have to use the interchange."
Widening I-15 from Timpanogos Highway to Lehi Main Street in the next few years and a direct exit ramp from the HOV lane to Timpanogos Highway will also help. A new Traverse Mountain interchange south of Point of the Mountain is also part of the plan in the next 10 to 20 years, and will help spread out some of the traffic even more.
Total cost will be $450 million, to be funded by priority.
But prior investments in that area here led to economic growth: 100 new companies, and 4,000 new jobs after the construction of the Timpanogos Highway.
"There's a positive relationship between transportation investment and how Utah's economy does," Seager said.
