UDOT to Eagle Mountain: We cannot do more to clear snowy roads

UDOT to Eagle Mountain: We cannot do more to clear snowy roads
Caleb Warnock - DAILY HERALD
Concerned that icy roads could trap Eagle Mountain residents who have limited options when getting in and out of town, Eagle Mountain Mayor Heather Jackson has asked UDOT to provide a third plow for the two highways leading to the city.

UDOT has turned the city down, citing economic realities and the sheer number of residents on the road, making access for plows difficult.
"Right now we don't see that we have a way to put a third plow out there and do everything we have to do," said UDOT spokesman Scott Thompson.

Jackson said Eagle Mountain residents have become increasingly vocal in their dissatisfaction about the condition of roads on snowy days. Some residents realize the city has no jurisdiction to plow the highways, and some don't, she said.

Jackson said she met with UDOT a week ago to request the third plow, telling UDOT officials that when roads are dangerous, Eagle Mountain residents have few, if any, options.

"We feel it is critical to add an extra plow," Jackson said. "Our citizens have to travel both highways 68 and 73, especially if they work in the Salt Lake area. We get a lot of complaints about both of those not being plowed."

A third plow would allow UDOT to re-plow more frequently in heavy traffic areas, and especially when snow continues to fall, she said, noting that it now takes UDOT plows three hours to make a loop to clear the highways that are the city's lifeblood.

"They go out and finally come back and one side of the road has 6 inches of snow on it and you can barely tell they have been here," Jackson said.

The city is also trying to educate its residents about which roads the city has the responsibility to plow, and which are the purview of the state. In its most recent newsletter, the city devoted space to explaining the city's priorities in plowing streets, and which streets the state must care for.

UDOT has 11 plows in its Lehi maintenance shed, but the main priority for those machines is to keep clear up to 30 miles of Interstate 15, said Thompson.

"It takes seven of the 11 to do that and get all the lanes clear," he said.

Another plow has been ordered for the area but won't arrive in time to help with this season's snow clearing, he said.

Another reason the roads are so difficult to plow is because the highways leading to Eagle Mountain "are busy and congested on a good day in decent weather," he said. "So if there is a heavy commuter time, we have run into trouble getting our plows through traffic."

In the meantime, UDOT will consider whether there are more efficient plowing patterns that can be used as a short-term solution, Thompson said.