Saratoga residents unite against UDOT project

Saratoga residents unite against UDOT project
Cathy Allred - Daily Herald
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Saratoga Springs residents are upset that the Redwood Road Expansion Project could severely impact their homes and safety, and they have organized to fight for changes.

Utah Department of Transportation spokesman Geoff Dupaix said they hope to address residents' concerns at an open house today from 6-8 p.m. at Saratoga Shores Elementary.
In February, UDOT staff met with nearby Redwood Road residents about the highway widening project. Initially, UDOT planned on constructing a drainage ditch down the side of Redwood Road (State Road 68) where a strip park exists but since the February meeting has changed those plans to place the drain culvert in the highway median, said Doug Graham, chairman of a road expansion committee organized by Saratoga Springs subdivision homeowners association members.

"People were concerned about ruining the 10 years of growth trees and grass, and a jogging path that many people use on a daily basis," he said.

Now there are more concerns about the expansion project.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to resolve some of those concerns at the meeting tomorrow, where those improvements will be, how they will change the rest of the plan and to improve safety," Dupaix said.

He said that since February the plans for the highway have been slightly shifted to the west, farther away from the neighboring subdivision.

Graham said he isn't holding his breath for improvements.

"With that expansion are several considerations, including my home," he said. "There is a safety factor that no one seems to be considering."

He said vehicles traveling along Redwood Road have twice veered off the highway slamming through fencing into residents' backyards. Graham said his group is concerned there will be additional risk after the expansion is completed because UDOT wants to raise the road to resolve flooding and drainage issues.

"We have the safety factor; it's an obvious big issue," he said. "There is also the aesthetic issue."

Residents not bordering S.R. 68 have raised another issue.

Pepita Ridgeway lives in the Saratoga Springs planned community near the HOA pool. Her family regularly bikes as an activity with their three young children. With ongoing construction for State Road 73 effectively blocking the Jordan River Parkway bike path and now the addition of the S.R. 68 expansion project, Ridgeway said she's frustrated.

"We'll have to just, I don't know, drive up to Provo Canyon, something like that," she said. "There's isn't much else we can go ... unless we just ride on the road, but you know what that's like. Motorists are not very cyclist-aware, I'd say."

Dupaix said UDOT's goal is to not take out the trail but to improve the road without significantly impacting the trail.

Graham said he and other residents will be at the open house tonight.

"I don't think they were expecting the reaction that they got," Graham said. "People are really concerned."

Eagle Mountain commuters face construction delays

Eagle Mountain commuters face construction delays
April 6th, 2009 @ 1:25pm
By Randall Jeppesen
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Commuters in Eagle Mountain are facing a double dose of road construction.

The intersection known as the four corners in Saratoga Springs is a major route for motorists to and from Eagle Mountain. Redwood Road and State Road 73 in the area both are under construction. Both roads are being widened.

"It takes 15 more minutes, 15 to half an hour longer," one motorist said.

But Scott Thompson of the Utah Department of Transportation says when it's all completed, today's delays will lead to a much better drive.

"(They've) got a new Wal-Mart going in out there. You have a lot more people coming back and forth," he said.

Redwood Road is being widened from Bangerter Highway on the north to 400 South in Saratoga Springs on the south. It should be finished by this fall.

The S.R. 73 work should be wrapped up in June.

UTA buses begin new route on west side of Utah Lake

UTA buses begin new route on west side of Utah Lake
April 6th, 2009 @ 5:44pm
By Randall Jeppesen
EAGLE MOUNTAIN -- For the tens of thousands living in Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs, there's finally a new way to get to Salt Lake for work. A new express bus route is rolling.

"That's good, probably a good idea. If you work uptown or something, that's probably the way to go," one man told us.

Some residents are saying anything to reduce traffic, and that will allow them to leave the car at home, is a good thing and needed; others not so happy about the price to ride.

UTA says the cost of a one-way express bus fare is $4.50 and a monthly unlimited express bus pass is $162.00. "I don't think it's worth it for the price they're charging," another man said.

Right now, there are only two buses that make the trip, but several residents say it's a start. They hope to see more buses added as more people jump aboard. [Click here to see a map of the new route]