Council, Billings back a Provo belt loop
The council passed a resolution Tuesday night formally recommending a belt loop, dubbed a "half moon" by Rep. Steve Clark, R-Provo.
If built, the loop would branch off a widened Geneva Road at 2000 North and head west of all existing development before turning south to the airport.
From the airport, the loop would head southeast to join with I-15 at the University Avenue interchange.
Provo launched an environmental impact study this summer on the west-side connector — the part of the loop that would run from the airport to I-15.
Lakeview North Neighborhood chairwoman Sherrie Hall Everett supported the Council's action.
"Our neighborhood is very much in favor of the west corridor option," she said.
Provo and the Utah Department of Transportation have studied the idea of widening Geneva Road, but the resolution noted that environmental impacts might prevent widening it enough to handle future traffic demands for the long-term.
The council encouraged the state Legislature, the Utah Transportation Commission, neighborhood councils and property owners to carefully consider the proposal.
"Geneva Road is the key to getting I-15 going as soon as possible," Clark said. "There's no other way to handle north-south traffic when construction begins. We need to get Geneva Road completed and done in the next three or four years."
Clark told the council its resolution would help legislators work with UDOT.
Several residents told the council they fear talk of expanding Geneva Road from two lanes to seven, but that isn't an option until 2030 or beyond. An expansion to five lanes — two north and two south with a turn lane in the middle — would be enough to prepare the way for I-15 expansion.
Also, Tuesday night, the council passed another resolution supporting the widening of I-15 and a frontage road system from the University Parkway interchange in Orem to the Provo Center Street interchange.
It also supported construction of a single-point urban interchange at the I-15 interchange at Provo's Center Street. The Orem University Parkway interchange is a single-point urban interchange, or SPUI.
An environmental impact study of the I-15 corridor from 119th South in Salt Lake County through Provo to Payson is being conducted by UDOT, the Utah Transit Authority and the Mountainland Association of Governments.
The project is estimated to cost $3.2 billion. The widening of I-15 in Salt Lake County prior to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games cost $1 billion.
The council-backed proposal is one of five alternatives being considered.
It would lead to the widening of I-15 to five lanes in both directions, including a high-occupancy vehicle lane.
The frontage road system would enhance access to I-15 while minimizing impact on nearby neighborhoods, according to the council resolution.
UDOT has proposed a diamond interchange at the Provo Center Street exit. Provo city leadership believes an SPUI would better handle increased traffic flow in the future.
E-mail: twalch@desnews.com
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