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Richard Piatt Reporting...People who want relief NOW will consider this just a baby step. It will still be years until Utah county gets something like the new I-15 -- but the Governor vows it WILL happen.
Traffic in Utah county is so heavy, so teeth-grindingly slow at times that it's quickly becoming a major problem.
Gary Herbert/Utah County Commissioner: "WE ESTIMATE IN UTAH COUNTY OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS, WE HAVE 6 BILLION DOLLARS OF TRANSPORTATION NEEDS. THE TRANSPORTATION SITUATION WE HAVE IS STAGGERING."
The Governor, Utah county legislators and UDOT are feeling the pressure, too. The result of that pressure is a 5-million dollar Environmental Impact Study which is a first step in getting the road built.
A similar study was done in Salt Lake County more than a decade ago, when gridlock ground traffic to a halt.
John Njord/Utah Department of Transportation: "AS THE RESULT OF THAT, WE'VE GOT A LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM THAT WAS PART OF THAT PROCESS, WE'VE GOT A REBUILT FREEWAY THAT WAS PART OF THAT PROCESS. I EXPECT TO FIND SIMILAR SOLUTIONS HERE IN UTAH COUNTY. "
The study will open the door not just to freeway work and light rail, but to widening surface streets as well.
Whether they run east-west or north and south, miles of routes through northern Utah county are in dire need of updating.
It would be nice if everyone could soar above it all--like the hang-gliders flying near the news conference. As it is, more people South of Salt Lake City are facing a problem similar to people North of Salt Lake City.
Frank Mills/Pleasant Grove City Administrator: "IF ANYONE'S BEEN ON I-15 NORTH OR SOUTH WHEN THEY'VE SHUT IT DOWN, GETTING THROUGH UTAH COUNTY CAN BE A TOUGH SITUATION."
In the short term, relief is coming with a 30-million dollar road-widening project from 106th south to point of the mountain. That project will be done by next summer, but is widely regarded as a bandaid.
