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Show WASATCH CANYON Will MOUNTAIN TIMES REPORT It Be Stopped? Provo Canyon’s $34 Million Highway to Nowhere he Utah Department of Transportation is poised to begin building the most expensive section of highway in Utah history. But a group of environmentalists and fishermen are intent on fighting to stop what they call the “highway to nowhere.” The two-mile section of US 189 in question is in the most narrow portion of Provo Canyon - an area of the Provo River that is a favorite for fishermen and hold’s the premier fishery in the state. After haggling for years over the design, UDOT recently decided to build two tunnels through the mountainside, rather than swing the highway out over the Provo River. UDOT, as well as the state’s see cue impacts of this transportation decision.” Appel cited impacts on the Provo River's drinking water and impacts on air pollution from increased auto traffic — two major concerns he says have been ignored by UDOT. Additionally, Appel contends that UDOT has changed the design of the highway significantly since the last environmental impact statement was conducted in 1989. Further, the attorney said UDOT has not studied the impact on Orem city streets as the proposed four-lane highway empties from the canyon. In the end, he said an expanded highway may not be right for the canyon. “You have to ask yourself the question, what kind of road belongs in Provo Canyon?” Appel said. Steve Schmidt, owner of Western Rivers Flyfishers and a member of the coalition, maintains that the damage to the canyon and river from the two-mile segment of highway will be tremendous. Beyond that, he says the entire highway may never be completed. Displaced soil from the tunnels and a haul road needed for construction will place the river and the canyon environment in danger, Schmidt noted. “There will be a tremendous amount of erosion. There will be a pile of dirt large enough to fill BYU’s football stadium three times.” Although UDOT officials say they Fishing on Provo River. have Transportation Commission, insist that they have met all requirements of federal environmental law. But still dissatisfied and believing the four-lane expansion would be the end of Provo Canyon, group calling a Coalition as we know itself the filed suit in Provo it, a River federal court, alleging that UDOT and the Federal Highway Administration have sidestepped the National Environmental bent over backwards to meet the concerns of the coalition, Schmidt says the state just doesn’t have capacity to listen and that is why the the group filed suit. “They say they've answered all the environmental questions. But they haven’t. They will go ahead until someone tells them otherwise.” The Four lane expansion in lower Provo Canyon $34 million by Obayashi Construction Co. But Schmidt sees the project costing millions more in overruns at a time when other transportation needs are more pressing. And in the end, he says, the state may not have enough money to finish the expansion up the canyon. “We have so many transportation needs in this state. To build a two mile road that goes nowhere doesn’t make sense.” But Transportation Commission Chairman Glen Brown said the road expansion must go forward. “This is the most studied and reviewed project in the state of Utah,” he said. i tant corridor to a lot of citizens in this state. I thought thats why we built roads, to accommodate people.” Still, the chairman could not commit to a completion date for the Prove Canyon expansion. “It could take many, many years,” he said. “I don't think anyone can answer the question, when will it be completed?” @ gulver Junction Mercantile Brown pushes aside the coalition’s criticisms, including ones based on environmental analysis. “They want anything that will justify stopping it.” The state has complied with all environmental concerns in the canyon, Brown explained. “We have complied with the Division of Wildlife Resources concerns with the river. We have made a number of modifications for those concerns.” In the end, an expanded highway two-mile segment was bid at is needed, Brown said. “It’s an impor- Protection Act (NEPA). Although expansion each segment has been approved of the through environmental regulations, the coalition argues that the overall impact on the environment has gone without analysis. Nevertheless, UDOT began work on the project. An attorney for the coalition said he was poised to file for a temporary restraining order to stop work, but had not done so as The Mountain Times went to press. “We're trying to stop the project, as it is presently constituted. They haven’t looked at all the environmental impacts,” said Jeffrey Appel. “What they've done is fail to see the regional Spreading our wings to serve you better. Articipation Galleries Original, Limited Editions, Sculpture, New Artists, Framing, Etc. Salt Lake City and Park City phone numbers °A. Friberg eJ. Bama *H.F. Sellers °B. Dolittle (801) 649-8654 558 Main St. * P.O. Box 715 Park City, Utah 84060 PAGE 15 |
