By Rebecca Call
Utah Crossing is still a hot topic throughout west Utah County and beyond. A public meeting was held Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Saratoga Shores Elementary School to present and again discuss the proposed bridge.
The Utah Division of Fire, Forestry and State Lands presented the procedure that needs to be taken in order to say “Yay or Nay” on this project. In addition to having a presentation given to that and other divisions, public meetings are required in order for the Utah Division of Fire, Forestry and State Lands to make their final decision. Public meetings, such as this meeting held and the meeting conducted by the Utah Lake Commission that took place on September 29, are part of those requirements.
State Representative Ken Sumsion and Utah Crossing’s Leon Harward both presented the vision they see for not only the Utah Crossing Project, but also the growth and expansion of the west side of the country. “We will see growth to one million in Utah County in the next 20 years and with the east side of the valley pretty much built up, where will they go? Right here in Cedar Valley,” Sumsion told residents. He continued, “When I first started looking at this [the area at SR 68 and SR 73] area four years ago I saw a problem. There is a terrible bottle neck right her.”
Sumsion tells residents that even with Pioneer Crossing and when 2100 North in Lehi is widened and continues to SR 68 with the Mountain View Corridor, “we are still looking at a very narrow area of land that can hold traffic—not one of them able to hold the amount of traffic we can see 20 or 30 years from now.”
Sumsion notes that, as with any traffic needs throughout the state, the funding and process of getting a publicly funded bridge, which in his mind will be essential to service the residents of Cedar Valley, is at least 30 years away.
Presentations were not limited to the Utah Crossing Project, giving residents an idea of what MAG (Mountainland Association of Governments) and at least certain members of the state are looking at for the future.
With the possibility of the Utah Crossing Project coming to fruition and some type of crossing connecting Eagle Mountain City Center to the south area of Saratoga Springs, Harward states will we have the only true east-west connector in Utah County.
With Sumsion’s comment that unnamed companies are looking into bringing hi-tech and manufacturing business to Utah, this type of transportation is what they are looking for. This project, added to the Mountain View Corridor (a publicly funded state road), will open the Cedar Valley area up for “major growth.”
During Harward’s presentation he had to face some of the hard questions from residents. “Do you personally or professionally own property on either side of the lake?” one resident asked. “Utah Crossing does not own any land other than where the bridge would land,” Leon replied. When faced with the rephrased question, Harward moved on. Later, outside the forum, Harward said, “It is none of their business. If everyone knew what I know they would all want to build the bridge.”
Sumsion assures the public this is a great opportunity. Residents are getting the bridge that will be absolutely necessary in the future, without having to wait 20 to 30 years for UDOT to budget it.
Public opinion is important when making these decisions. Although some entities’ official public comment periods have lapsed, the Utah Division of Fire, Forestry and State Lands (FFSL) has their public comment period open until November 30. They, with input from other state department, will ultimately be the division to give permission on this project.
Dave Grierson from FFSL told the public, “We want to be transparent, thorough and open…We don’t want to make this decision lightly, based on hysteria or on emotion…We want to make as sound a decision as we possibly can.”
Residents are encouraged to share opinions with this department at their website, http://www.ffsl.utah.gov/sovlands/utahlake/commentform.php.
Legacy Center is a recreation facility with a number of activities for the whole family to enjoy! 
We are now offering Aerobic classes at The Factory. We have a 12:30 class for those on their lunch break!
