Opinion
Letter to the Editor: Clubhouse Drive extension will do more harm than good
Dear Editor,
The “SR-92 Extension” title connotes that a decision has already been made on this matter. The problem being addressed is traffic congestion in north Lehi requiring routes connecting I-15 to Redwood Rd or to future westside highways.
The number one priority should have been that roads will not go through the center of Thanksgiving Point and its venues. Therefore, we must develop and propose alternate routes for public consideration.
Why should this be the number one priority? Here are my reasons:
● Thanksgiving Point and its venues is one of the most visited and desirable family gathering places in all northern Utah.
● Thanksgiving Point is a place of peace, quiet, beauty, green space, scientific and botanical interest, and children’s education.
What will happen to this area if a highway is extended through the middle of it? UDOT and other interested parties (real estate developers, etc.) would have us believe, “not much.” I disagree. Here are a few of the effects:
● Cutting through the golf course is right next to Ashton Gardens, The Curiosity Museum (with outdoor venues).
● Air quality will immediately suffer from vehicle emissions, dust, particulates related to deteriorating tires and other debris.
● The noise level will immediately rise from every type of motor vehicle you can imagine.
● The green space, peace, & quiet will immediately suffer…and never recover.
● The traffic congestion in the local businesses and neighborhoods will become more complicated.
● These businesses and neighborhoods will suffer dramatically during the years of construction.
● It is most likely that the golf course will deteriorate until it is closed as the land developers covet and salivate. Or it will close right away with the same result.
If the golf course closes, the land will be sold to the highest bidders. They will then build apartments or high-density housing, because who wants a nice home next to a noisy, air-polluting highway. The existing nice homes in the area of the golf course will likely lose value. With high density housing taking the space previously occupied by the golf course, water usage will increase.
Do not extend S.R. 92 through the center of Thanksgiving Point and its venues.
Roger J. Lambert
Lehi, Utah
