In this October 2021 photo, crews are working on the West Davis Corridor road project in the 200 North and Schick Lane area of Kaysville.
In this October 2021 photo, crews are working on the West Davis Corridor road project in the 200 North and Schick Lane area of Kaysville.
In this October 2021 photo, crews are working on the West Davis Corridor road project in the 200 North and Schick Lane area of Kaysville.
The purple path of the proposed West Weber Corridor through western Weber County. It would tie into the West Davis Corridor under construction in Davis County to the south.
Photo provided by Utah Department of Transportation
In this October 2021 photo, crews are working on the West Davis Corridor road project in the 200 North and Schick Lane area of Kaysville.
OGDEN – What will likely be a year-long attempt to extend the West Davis Highway north from Davis County to Weber County has taken a step forward, maybe a small step.
Weber County commissioners formally agreed to ask the Utah Department of Transportation to designate the section of road planned for western Weber County as a high priority corridor. They hope the appointment will fuel planning and other efforts to develop the extension of the road, also known as the Legacy Highway.
Tuesday’s action “just tells the Transportation Commission that Weber County believes Legacy North is an important part of our future,” said Weber County’s commissioner Gage Froerer. If the UDOT Transportation Commission approves the motion, he hopes that it will accelerate eventual development and take a five to 10 year break instead of a 10 to 15 year break.
Work on the Davis County road section began last March and is expected to be completed in 2024. The $ 750 million project involves building a 16-mile, four-lane highway on the west side of Davis County that runs north-west from Glovers Lane in Farmington to 193 State Road at West Point.
Part of the goal is to create a new corridor for transporting cars between the Salt Lake City area and northern Davis County to ease congestion on Interstate 15 as growth accelerates along the Wasatch Front.
Photo provided by Utah Department of Transportation
In this October 2021 photo, crews are working on the West Davis Corridor road project in the 200 North and Schick Lane area of Kaysville.
Weber County plans are to extend the road north from Hooper along the western edge of West Haven to the northwest edge of Plain City. There it would turn east and join Interstate 15 north of the Box Elder County Line.
The corridor in western Weber County – referred to as the West Weber Corridor in planning documents – cuts through an area in which more and more housing developments are emerging and future growth is forecast. With that in mind, Froerer noted that the project could be 10 to 15 years away if Weber County’s leaders don’t push for a faster move.
“The point is that we have to be on that (high priority) list and, in my opinion, the sooner the better,” he said when the Commissioners discussed the matter last Tuesday. “And honestly, knowing what we’re doing now in western Weber County, I don’t think we have 10 or 15 years before it’s going to be a big problem with transportation.”
The high priority appointment would put the plans past other projects competing for UDOT funding.
Tuesday’s vote to apply for high priority status from the UDOT Transportation Commission was passed 2-1. Although Commissioner Jenkins did not vote against the street plans, he voted no and referred to the efforts of the district to update the planning document that is leading the development in the unincorporated western Weber district. He had suggested waiting for the general plan update to complete, perhaps by next January, but he was outnumbered by Froer and Commissioner Jim Harvey.
Photo provided by Utah Department of Transportation
In this October 2021 photo, crews are working on the West Davis Corridor road project in the 200 North and Schick Lane area of Kaysville.
UDOT spokesman Mitch Shaw said that no funds have yet been made available for the expansion of the corridor in Weber County. In addition, according to the current status, the project will last at least 20 years.
“But an important caveat is that that can always change. Legislators may choose to fund something sooner than the long-term plan says, ”Shaw said.
He said UDOT acquired “a minimal” number of tracts to develop the Weber County road. Even so, both he and Froerer said that the proposed corridor is not yet absolute.
“I would say it is not set in concrete,” says Froerer, but at the same time does not plan to make any drastic changes to the route.
As for work on the Davis County corridor, Shaw said it is on schedule. It’s supposed to be a freeway-style street, with restricted access at a handful of junctions in the Farmington, Kaysville, Layton, and Syracuse areas. Its official name will be State Route 177.
Image provided by Weber County Commissioners
The purple path of the proposed West Weber Corridor through western Weber County. It would tie into the West Davis Corridor under construction in Davis County to the south.
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