Utah Gov. Herbert helps kick off three-year, $430M I-15 expansion
The so-called I-15 Technology Corridor project will add two lanes on both the northbound and southbound sides from Lehi's Main Street to state Route 92, for a total of six lanes in both directions on completion. Interchange renovations are also in the mix, as well as 13 bridge rebuilds and the construction of a new bridge that will span I-15 connecting the east and west legs of Triumph Boulevard.
Gov. Gary Herbert, left, and Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, unveil a digital rendering of the Utah Department of Transportation’s I-15 Technology Corridor construction project at the Rain office in Lehi on Wednesday, April 25, 2018.
That growth, an issue also being grappled with by the Point of the Mountain Development Commission, is expected to propel Utah County past Salt Lake County in terms of population in the next 50 years and continue to test the resilience of not just the I-15 freeway, but travel corridors on both sides, and across the state's busiest interstate.
For those who may feel like I-15 construction through south Salt Lake County and Utah County has been perpetual, Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Carlos Braceras said this project marks an end point. At least for now...
...In spite of the dearth of current, active public transit projects, Herbert said the future will include additional state funding for public transportation infrastructure expansions.
"I think what we need to do is invest strategically in all our transportation systems, that would include mass transit," Herbert said. "We’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars and we’ll spend additional hundreds of millions of dollars continuing on mass transit. We’re not going to stop, it will be a matter of both."
Herbert also added that changes enacted by the Legislature in this year's session to how UTA is managed included tweaks that likely will create new funding opportunities for transit projects.
"(Now) we can take our typical transportation fund and expand it beyond just roads, highways and byways into, in fact, mass transit," Herbert said. "That’s the first time we’ve been able to take money from one bucket and put it into another bucket.
"With this new governance structure, I think you're going to see very strategic investments and continuing to make sure we have optimal benefit for transportation."
UTA board member Alex Cragun said public transportation expansion will be critical in accommodating the expected growth along the Wasatch Front while also helping to address air quality issues and preserving a place that people will be drawn to.
"Investing in roads is important but, in terms of our long-term growth, we can’t build more roads out of this problem," Cragun said. "The end goal to reduce our pollution is remove cars from the roads. And that will require further investment in public transportation."
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Cragun, who is also the executive director of the Utah Democratic Party and former director of transit advocacy group, Utah Transit Riders Union, said the increasing population density in the area lays good groundwork for efficient transit expansion, like new TRAX lines.
"As long as there is a demand for service in those areas, we should be talking about light rail," Cragun said. "We need to be making sure that we’re not only planning and building rail in a smart manner, but aligning that around housing and economic opportunities that sustain people."
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This is so short sighted. 6 lanes each way?
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