WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — People who have lived in West Valley City for decades are being told they only have a few more years left before their homes could be demolished and turned into an on-ramp and off-ramp.
It’s all part of UDOT’s proposed plan to alleviate future traffic and congestion on Bangerter Highway.
“This is kind of where wanted to retire,” said Merrill Walker.
Walker has lived in the neighborhood for thirty years. His neighbor, Stephen Nielson, just moved in last year.
“Everyone waves, everybody’s so friendly,” said Nielson. “You feel safe here.”
Just months after moving into his new home, Nielson learned of UDOT’s plans for the intersection.
4100 South and Bangerter Highway is one of the many sections along the highway that UDOT wants to remove the stoplights and convert into a freeway. Since 2012, UDOT has already removed stoplights from ten intersections.
READ: UDOT moving forward with process to turn Bangerter Highway into freeway
“Is saving two to five minutes on your evening commute or somebody’s evening commute worth demolishing twelve or 54 homes and upending people who have lived here for decades?” he said.
Walker was told by UDOT that he would need to move from his home.
“It’s going to be leveled to the ground to make way for on-and-off ramps for the widening of the freeway,” he said.
According to UDOT, commuters will see double the drivers on Bangerter Highway by 2050.
“We can give a fair market value and we can help them move, we do that, we walk them through the process,” said John Gleason with UDOT. “But you can’t always put a price on the memories people have in homes and the families they built there.”
The proposed project will also create a pedestrian path that JoAn Ishimatsu says will be just two homes down from her.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be able to leave our doors unlocked again,” said Ishimatsu.
The group started a letter-writing campaign and collected almost 200 signatures to try and change the construction slated for 2027.
“I do know that on some of the other interchanges that they’ve had in southern part they’ve converted, they have made changes based on public opinion,” said Nielson. “Our hope is that they listen to us.”
The formal public comment period wraps up July 12 and UDOT will have the finalized preferred design adopted later this summer.
“We can’t make these decisions in a vacuum,” said Gleason. “We have to have input from the public.”
