Vineyard Connector road planning spurs controversy in Utah County

AMERICAN FORK — Planning for a major road in Utah County has left some residents questioning the process.

The Vineyard Connector road would create an alternate route to I-15 for a portion of Utah County, according to Utah Department of Transportation communications manager Eileen Barron.

The road would give additional transit options for people who live in Orem, Vineyard, American Fork, Lindon and Lehi, Barron said.

UDOT had discussed placing the road near the east side of I-15 in American Fork, following the route where 6500 West is now. That route would see the road start at Pioneer Crossing and continue south to Vineyard.

Another alternative route that has been discussed would place the road about a mile west, traveling along the eastern edge of the Spring Creek Ranch subdivision on the southeast side of Lehi.

Though UDOT is planning for the Vineyard Connector construction now, it’s still a long way from completion, Barron said. It’s on UDOT’s long-term plan for projects to complete by 2025.

“We want to plan for the future now with both the population and the travel projections for the future of Utah County,” Barron said. “We’re already actively planning for the kinds of connections we’ll need for mobility and that part of Utah County west of I-15.”

Residents of Spring Creek Ranch would be concerned about the safety of their kids, if the road were to be built on the edge of the neighborhood, Spring Creek Ranch Homeowners Association president Brad Smith said.

About 1,500 people live in the subdivision, and about 600 of those people are kids age 12 and under.

“The biggest concern is the safety of our kids,” Smith said. “Safety is first.”

American Fork city administrator David Bunker said the city has its “preferred” alternative alignment for the road.

The city’s long-term plan for that area involves developing a transportation hub in the area around the American Fork FrontRunner station, Bunker said.

“That’s really the driver — the fact that there is that FrontRunner station in that area,” he said.

The City Council recently voted to modify agricultural protections that were in place for certain parcels in the area. It did so in order to allow UDOT to study potential routes for the Vineyard Connector, Bunker said.

Agricultural protections are typically in place for 20 years, so the City Council opted not to renew those protections in order to give the city more flexibility, Bunker said.

American Fork city leaders are hoping to see higher-density buildings constructed near the FrontRunner station, rather than a major roadway. Bunker said buildings there would allow more people in that area, driving more traffic and passengers to the FrontRunner station, Bunker said.

He still sees the Vineyard Connector as something the area needs, though.

“I think the Vineyard Connector is integral in making sure that the transportation needs of that area, and actually the region quite frankly, are incorporated in the development that happens down there,” Bunker said.

Smith said he thinks a better place for the road would be along the north shore of Utah Lake because there are no developments there.

He said he doesn’t support moving the road closer to Spring Creek Ranch in favor of leaving room for future developments that the city of American Fork is anticipating.

“It would be nice to know that current existing residents who have made long-term home decisions about raising their families and where they wanna be are taken more into consideration … than a proposed community that doesn’t exist yet,” Smith said.

Barron said UDOT is committed to working with all the communities in the area throughout the Vineyard Connector planning process in order to consider both present and future developments.

“We’ll continue to work with the local governments to preserve a corridor so that we can have some additional routes for the future of Utah County,” she said.

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