BOUNTIFUL—Residents had a chance to weigh in last week on proposed improvements to the I-15 Farmington to Salt Lake corridor at a Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) open house held at the South Davis Recreation Center. UDOT officials explained the different options being considered and the impact it could have on those cities. UDOT recently announced completion of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for potential improvements.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to give input for several months,” said Farmington resident John Yancey. “The proposal that was on the table I was really concerned about. It was for a big interchange that would go by the high school and the destruction of 20 homes. But that’s been taken off the table so I’m glad.”

UDOT has given residents the opportunity to get educated and give feedback, he said. “I get emails with updates. It’s been very helpful. Based on the statistics for growth in 30 years we’ve got to do something.”

“We’ll be taking public comments through Nov. 13,” said UDOT Project Manager Michael Romero. “We’ll look at the information to see what the public has asked for and how it will impact the project. The final document of record decision will be in the spring of 2024. We’ll start moving forward and the completion at the earliest would be in 2026.”

There’s a lot that has to happen, he said. “After the completion of the document there’s a lot to do if we want to be prepared for 2026.”

UDOT has been trying to get the word out, said Romero. “We’ve had a good turnout (at the open houses). We’ll get the information from this and online tools. We’ve received a lot of feedback through the process.” 

A formal hearing where residents could give a verbal comment via a court reporter was also available at the open house. 

Some residents support it and some are concerned about adding additional lanes, he said. “The project team has coordinated with cities up and down the corridor. We went to five or six cities all in one night. We tried to cover them all.” 

Salt Lake has concerns about the project’s impact on their community, Romero said. “The only other city was Farmington, but I got the impression (after the presentation) that they liked what they saw.”

The removal of a proposed interchange at Glovers Lane was from resident feedback, he said. “It was also the combination of the impact it would have on homes.”

It’s a unique challenge, said Romero. “Some are in favor and others are not. We’re trying to listen to those public comments.”

View the alternatives and make comments on the UDOT website at  i15eis.udot.utah.gov.