BLUFFDALE, Utah — A ground-breaking ceremony was held Monday at Camp Williams, the Army National Guard installation in Bluffdale.
It was held to mark that construction is underway for the camp’s new neighbor.
In a couple of years, Fort Douglas, which is currently on the campus of the University of Utah, will move its Army Reserve operations to a site next to Camp Williams.
“This will be an opportunity to consolidate our soldiers, our training and our equipment, and to be here adjacent to Camp Williams, which provides all the installation support as well as outstanding training facilities and training ranges,” said Stephen Sullivan, Director of Resources, Installations and Material for the Office of the Chief of Army Reserve.
The move for Fort Douglas follows the state legislature approving $17 million to purchase the land, to go with $100 million in funding to build an Army Reserve Center and a maintenance facility on the site.
Sullivan added that once the construction is complete, they’ll move the fence line of Camp Williams, and Fort Douglas will become a part of the same installation. When the move happens, the University of Utah’s long relationship with Fort Douglas will come to an end.
“It’s quite a history that we have between the university and the fort, over a hundred years,” said U of U President Taylor Randall.
Still, Taylor says he’s thrilled about the collaboration that took place between the state, the military and the university to get the project rolling. In turn, it will free up 50 acres of campus that Fort Douglas now occupies.
“This transaction is clearly a win-win for both entities,” said Taylor. “It provides state-of-the-art activities for soldiers to train. It also provides incredible expansion opportunities for the University of Utah with respect to our medical campus, but also the growth of our students.”
Work is expected to be completed on the new facilities at Camp Williams by the spring of 2026.
