SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Department of Transportation told FOX 13 News it no longer plans to displace homes as part of a proposed widening of I-15.
But residents in Salt Lake City neighborhoods along the freeway corridor still fear significant impacts that could harm them.
"As of now? We do not anticipate any home relocations in the Salt Lake City area," UDOT project manager Tiffany Pocock told FOX 13 News on Tuesday.
The announcement by UDOT gives a little relief to some residents who feared they'd lose their homes to a freeway expansion.
"We know there’s a shortage of housing right now in the entire state of Utah, so everyone is concerned if people were going to be displaced," said Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, who represents some of the areas impacted in the Utah State Legislature.
Instead, UDOT said it is planning to expand into the median between the north and southbound lanes in the Salt Lake City area as it replaces aging infrastructure in a critical corridor for the northern part of the state. But while UDOT said it will pursue other plans, residents in the North Temple and Rose Park neighborhoods still have concerns about the impact of any freeway widening project.
"They may not say they’re going to have to acquire the homes and demolish, but the impact from them is going to be significant," said Bill Coker, an owner of the famous Red Iguana restaurant and a resident of one of the neighborhoods. "They can’t tell me it’s not."
Coker said they went through it before with previous I-15 projects and TRAX on North Temple. He walked into 700 West right next to I-15, demonstrating the line that the proposed project would go right up to.
"This is elevated so all of the underpasses are going to have scaffolding in them," he said, motioning to I-15 above homes in the neighborhood. "They’re going to have to build that concrete center area and they’re going to have to block the street to do so. So detours are either going to be coming through the neighborhood or businesses are going to be impacted."
It remains to be seen how significant the impact of the I-15 widening project will be to properties in North Salt Lake, West Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington. UDOT plans to finalize its studies by this fall before launching a formal public comment period.
Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, House Minority Leader Angela Romero and Rep. Hollins, who all represent impacted neighborhoods in Salt Lake City, have been hosting regular community meetings to update residents on the proposed I-15 expansion. Another town hall is scheduled Wednesday at 6:30pm in the Zions Building at the Utah State Fairpark.
Rep. Hollins urged residents to continue to stay involved, even if homes in the area won't be targeted for demolition now.
"Continue to be engaged in this process. Continue to be engaged from the start to the finish," she said.
