LAYTON, Utah — Construction of a new highway in Davis County began Tuesday to reduce congestion in a booming part of the state.
The new roadway will be called the West Davis Highway, a 16-mile stretch that has been a long time coming and will be the Utah Department of Transportation's (UDOT) largest project in two decades.
Serious discussions for the highway began 20 years ago, but it's been under discussion for over half a century.
Utah lawmakers recently allotted $760 million for the project due to population growth in land that used to be used for grazing and agriculture.
“As you drove out here you probably saw this conversion of what was old farm lands, and what they’re growing now is homes and communities. The change is happening very, very quickly in Utah," said UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras.
"Over the last 10 years, Utah was the fastest growing state in the country, so this highway is going to be kind of a backbone to allow this community to grow in a way that they envision.”
West Davis Highway is expected to be completed by 2023, and is projected to reduce congestion on I-15 and surrounding roads by 30 percent by 2040.
