Farmington asks Utah DOT for New Corridor Plan

Tom Warne Report, 9 September 2013

Davis Clipper – September 4, 2013

FARMINGTON – Utah transportation officials are under scrutiny for the plan for West Davis Corridor by a local city council and mayor. The Utah Department of Transportation’s draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) shows the highway being built through the city of Farmington at Glover Lane. Farmington’s elected officials say the route would cut through the city without benefiting residents much. The city claims UDOT did not adequately look at the conservation easements that the planned freeway would pass through, and perhaps the freeway is not necessary at all.

“Based on the information in the DEIS, it is currently unclear whether this project is needed for the region at all in 2040 and it is clearly not needed at this time in Farmington City,” according to a talking points document released this week. “An outdated transportation paradigm may have been applied here and in the modeling, which needs to be corrected.”

The city is working on an expanded, 30-page letter to submit to UDOT on the issue.

Meanwhile, UDOT spokesman John Gleason said the agency has been working on the draft for three years, and has looked at 47 other possibilities. While he did not specifically address the Farmington letter, Gleason said UDOT believes the best option is the route selected and the road is needed.

A final decision will not be made until 2014, by the federal highway commission.

There are many aspects of my former job as executive director of UDOT that I miss. This spat is not one of them. On the previous phase of the West Davis Corridor, the Legacy Parkway, the department endured untold pains and criticism, which they will no doubt repeat in this situation. After all the fighting and gnashing of teeth, the facility will be built and future travelers in the corridor will wonder why it took so long to solve the problem. When the Legacy Parkway was completed, it reduced travel times from 45 minutes to 14 minutes in peak hours in the corridor, including adjacent I-15. DOT’s are criticized for planning for the future, and criticized for not planning for the future. I guess it comes with the territory. There will be some grey hairs earned at UDOT before this one is built.

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