ST. GEORGE — The St. George City Council was given an update on the status of the proposed 700 South interchange project Thursday from the Utah Department of Transportation. Due the number of public comments received on the project, UDOT officials announced an additional public input meeting would be held over the summer.
UDOT announced earlier this year that it is considering building an interchange on I-15 that connects to 700 South in downtown St. George. The reasoning behind building the interchange in that location is to help ease current and future congestion at the nearby by Dixie Drive/Exit 6 and St. George Boulevard/Exit 8 interchanges.
Congestion at the Exit 6 and 8 interchanges is projected to rise by 20% by 2050 if nothing is done to address the issue before hand, according to UDOT’s data.
Before anything can be built, an environment assessment must be done to determine the feasibility of the proposed interchange and how it will impact the area around it. A part of the process involves a scoping period. This is a time when the public is asked to voice their thoughts on the project and why it is or is not a good idea and share points that planners might have missed.
The project’s scoping period originally ran April 18 through May 17. During this time an online meeting was held May 3 followed by an in-person open house had the following day. A website detailing the proposed project also offered information and a place to submit comments online in addition to email.
Ryan Anderson, a project manager for UDOT, told the council that they had received nearly 250 comments from residents and others living and working in the project’s study area. The number is amongst the highest they’ve ever received for such a project, he said.
UDOT received a total of 247 comments from the public through the meetings and online, many of which were substantive and offered various suggestions and alternatives, Anderson said. Only a handful of comments received were along the lines of “this is a bad idea” without offering reasons as to why, he said.
“We felt encouraged by the comments we received,” Anderson said.
Items residents and other stakeholders in the area around the proposed 700 South interchange touched on included vehicle traffic concerns, a want for improved active transportation routes through the area, worries over right of way (whose homes or businesses may be subject to taking), as well as a desire for better connectivity between the east and west sides of St. George while also preserving the character of the neighborhood as much as possible.
According to the project’s original timeline, the environment assessment, which will include alternatives for the interchange and surrounding area, was anticipated to be released later this year. However, due to the volume of comments and the issues and alternatives that accompanied them, the process is being pushed back three to four months.
Anderson told the council this is being done in order to hold a second in-person open house that will feature the proposed alternative designs for the project so the public can review and comment on them before a preferred alternative is chosen.
The next project open house is slated to be held mid-August.
Holding the additional meeting is a rare move on UDOT’s part, Anderson said, and added that UDOT wants the public involved in helping to shape what is to come due to the heavy interest the community has shown thus far.
“We want this (process) to be as transparent as possible,” he said. “We’re not here to force anything upon anyone.”
St. George News will report on the time and place of the next meeting once UDOT announces it.
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