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Show geekQI3o0oI?C!JDD(al6 Members of the Utah State Road commission agreed Wednesday to ask for a meeting with representatives repres-entatives of the U. S. Bureau of Federal Roads and investigate the possibilities of securing federal aid to widen and improve U. S. Highway High-way 91 through Utah County. The commissioners' agreement followed a heated public meeting with approximately 55 mayors and civic leaders of Utah county, who were protesting any proposal to construct a "super highway" through the county until highway 91 is brought up to modern four-lane four-lane standards. Ray Leavitt, chairman of the road commission, admitted his engineers en-gineers now are surveying several proposed routes through Utah county for a "limited access" highway, high-way, but said this move is in keeping keep-ing with a nation-wide program fostered by the U. S. Bureau of Federal Roads. He explained the federal government has set up a program whereby it will cooperate cooper-ate with states seting up proposed pro-posed future road developments which follow specified standards, including the "limited access" feature. The federal government will assist the state by appropriating money for present road system improvements im-provements if the state can show a future plan of development acceptable ac-ceptable to the government, he said. Asked if highway 91 could not be made to conform with these requirements, he explained it would be impossible for it to meet the "limited access" feature unless all cities of the county were bought out. "Heated 'discussKtas'bir -alfcphaaes of the road program followed. Several civic leaders charged that the road commission had allowed highway 91 to deteriorate while they "dreamed about a superhighway superhigh-way by-passing all cities in Utah county." Francis S. Lundell, Benjamin, representing a trucking concern, charged that Utah county was a serious "Bottleneck" for all trucks and bus lines passing through, and 17 counties of southern Utah are asking that this situation be improved, im-proved, or that a new route be found. He said Utah county is putting the road commission "on the spot" by demanding that it drop plans for the "limited access" highway. Although feeling ran high during dur-ing the first part of the meeting against continuation of the surveying sur-veying and engineering work now being done near Geneva steel plant and on the west side of Utah Lake for the "limited access" route, opinion changed toward the end. Delegates expressed three definite opinions: 1. That a meeting should '"be held with the U. S. Bureau of Roads to investigate possibilities of getting federal aid to widen and improve highway 91. 2. That no by-pass route or "limited "lim-ited access" highway should be constructed in the county until highway 91 is improved. 3. That engineering worK and surveys should continue on the ; proposed new route in line with possible future developments which may be found necessary as Utah county develops industrially. Salt Lake Tribune Mayor M. S. Christiansen and Golden Peay, President of the local loc-al Chamber of Cornmerce attended: the above meeting Wednesday af-' af-' ternoon. |