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Some Cottonwood Heights residents could lose homes to Wasatch Blvd. expansion

Some Cottonwood Heights residents could lose homes to Wasatch Blvd. expansion
Posted at 10:05 PM, Apr 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-24 10:24:24-04

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — The plans are not set. No decisions have been made. But already some homeowners in Cottonwood Heights have been notified they could lose their homes.

“We don’t want a five-lane road coming through this mountainous community we live in,” said Jason Coffman.

Coffman lives in one of six houses that could be torn down if one option to expand Wasatch Boulevard between Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons is chosen for expansion.

“You can’t get this canyon view from your backyard, anywhere,” said Coffman.

Wasatch Boulevard is the main way to get into both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon. As the east part of Sandy and Draper have developed, it has also become a major thoroughfare for commuting.

“The traffic counts during the evening commute are going to increase by 45% by 2050,” said John Gleason, a UDOT Public Information Officer.

While UDOT works out how to better move traffic on Wasatch, the city of Cottonwood Heights is working on their own draft Master Plan to add input.

“Wasatch Boulevard is a state highway but at the same time, it affects the heart of Cottonwood Heights,” said Mike Johnson, the Community and Economic Development Director for Cottonwood Heights.

Worried their voices will get lost in the process, neighbors like Coffman who could face the prospect of losing their homes have organized a change.org petition.

“If UDOT takes my house, how are they going to replace this,” said Coffman while pointing to his view of the mountains.

You can read more about the petition at:

https://www.change.org/p/john-thomas-save-wasatch-blvd-cottonwood-heights-says-not-to-a-hwy

You can look at the Cottonwood Heights DRAFT Master plan at:

http://ch.utah.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=109778&pageId=12440115

You can read more about UDOT’s plans, including and extended public input time frame at:

https://www.udot.utah.gov/littlecottonwoodeis/#downloads