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Regional Meeting: Six local cities clash over transportation issues
Rob Shelton | Lehi Free Press
Representatives from six Utah County cities gathered Wednesday, January 8, in a contentious discussion about planning potential east-west transportation corridors connecting Mountain View Corridor to Interstate 15, highlighting divisions between municipalities, and raising questions about the accuracy of projected population data used to plan future infrastructure.
In the nearly two-hour meeting, hosted by American Fork City, elected officials from Fairfield, Cedar Fort, Lehi, American Fork, Eagle Mountain, and Saratoga Springs gathered to discuss several proposed routes for a major east-west connector. The proposals under consideration include:
• A connection near Point of the Mountain in the Draper area
• Converting Pioneer Crossing into a freeway
• Upgrading the proposed Pony Express route to freeway status
• Constructing a new connection in the northern part of Utah Lake just south of Pony Express.
Lehi City has been shouldering the financial burden for the regional transportation analysis, prompting discussion about cost-sharing among the participating cities. While no formal agreement was reached, there appeared to be consensus that analytical costs should be distributed more equitably among participating municipalities.
The meeting became particularly heated when a presentation showed varying levels of support for different routes based on input from city staff members – data that elected officials said they had never seen or been consulted about.
“We don’t even have alignments that are correct,” said Rich Wood, an Eagle Mountain City Councilmember. “We’re right back to bad information that isn’t helping us to make good decisions.”
Smaller municipalities, particularly Fairfield and Cedar Fort, expressed frustration about being left out of, or even being consulted on their preferred alignment when other cities were consulted. Fairfield Mayor Hollie McKinney pointed out that critical data about commercial traffic wasn’t being considered in the current analysis.
“We might be small, but that alignment is going to impact us,” she said, emphasizing the need for comprehensive regional planning that considers all communities regardless of size.
“We have two major landfills that take in 150 semi-trucks a day,” Mayor McKinney said. “Eagle Mountain has Tyson [foods] on top of that, putting another 300 semis on that highway daily. You guys need to consider that more than just our population.”
The controversy over staff-reported preferences quickly evolved into a broader debate over the reliability of current planning data and whether cities should prioritize immediate traffic solutions or focus on long-term infrastructure planning.
Rich Wood, an Eagle Mountain City Councilmember, expressed frustration about the focus on long-term planning at the expense of current needs. “What service are we actually providing for the people who elected us?” Wood questioned. “If we don’t impact their quality of life in the four years of our term, then what did we really accomplish for our current citizens, not just future citizens?”
The discussion highlighted the challenges of balancing immediate infrastructure needs with long-term planning. Mark Christensen, Saratoga Springs City Administrator advocated for a dual-track approach.
“Our residents right now are flaming us because we’re not building solutions for today,” Christensen said. “Yes, I’m all for the longer-term vision and agree we have to keep our mind on that end prize, but we cannot ignore the immediate needs of our communities.”
Christensen urged the mayors of American Fork and Lehi to join Saratoga Springs’ mayor in petitioning MAG [Mountainland Association of Governments] to fund an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the Pony Express route.
“Whether this becomes a freeway or remains a two-lane road, we need to start the EIS to determine if it’s even viable,” Christensen said. “Waiting for complete consensus among all cities before starting the study is just adding unnecessary delay.”
However, American Fork Mayor Brad Frost pushed back, suggesting he felt it was the consensus of the group that no action should be taken until cities reached a final decision on the potential east-west connector location. When Frost asked if anyone disagreed with this position, Eagle Mountain’s Rich Wood and several other elected officials from numerous cities quickly voiced opposition to this all-or-nothing approach.
“We need to work both paths simultaneously,” Wood insisted, highlighting the growing divide between officials who want to wait for complete consensus and those pushing for immediate action.
Mayor Mark Johnson of Lehi emphasized the importance of securing federal funding for future projects. “I’m going back to DC in February and March to meet with our representatives and to work on funding,” Mayor Johnson said. “We’ve already been approved for two lanes [for Pony Express], and we’re asking for money to start moving towards building that. Unless we have money, we don’t have a project.”
The meeting also revealed significant concerns about the accuracy of population projections used for planning purposes. Current data from Mountainland Association of Governments was questioned by several city representatives who indicated their actual population numbers were significantly higher than those used in planning models.
Looking ahead, the cities agreed to obtain more accurate data, particularly regarding commercial traffic patterns and updated population projections. The next regional transportation meeting is scheduled for April 29,2025, in Eagle Mountain, where officials hope to present updated analysis incorporating input from all participating municipalities.
The gathering concluded with a call for action items, including:
• Updating population and traffic projections with input from all cities
• Exploring funding options for environmental impact studies
• Determining right-of-way preservation requirements
• Developing both short-term and long-term transportation solutions
• Creating a more equitable cost-sharing structure for regional planning
As Utah County continues to experience rapid growth, these inter-city discussions become increasingly critical for developing cohesive transportation solutions. While Wednesday’s meeting revealed significant challenges in coordination between municipalities of varying sizes and needs, it also demonstrated a shared commitment to finding workable solutions for both current and future residents.
