The Utah Department of Transportation staff hosted a full house of interested landowners and city officials at its Vineyard Connector open house on June 25.

"We're pretty much waiting for the Vineyard Connector and working with American Fork and UDOT," Smith said. "We're here to give our input and work with them."

He said his clients support American Fork's position of taking the Vineyard Connector farther south of the 1500 South alignment. Those who weren't able to attend the open house can find information and a map showing the alternative alignments on UDOT's Web site udot.utah.gov/vineyard.

Not big enough to be a highway, but big enough to be an arterial road, the proposed Vineyard Connector will be either a five- or seven-lane transportation corridor joining Lehi and American Fork roads with 800 North, Orem.

The American Fork/Lehi junction will be at approximately 800 E. 700 South, Lehi, or Main Street west of I-15 in American Fork.

"When we start rebuilding I-15 from American Fork to Spanish Fork, we want to give people alternative routes to get around Utah Valley," said Scott Thompson, UDOT public information manager. "We've got at least four and a number of other projects as well."

The critical four projects -- Pioneer Crossing at Lehi's 1000 South connecting Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain with I-15, SR 92 from I-15 in north Lehi through Highland, Springville's Main Street in the south end of the county, and the Vineyard Connector -- have a team called Access Utah County to coordinate and provide information to the public.

"These four are really the main ones we want in place before the I-15 project begins," said Joe Walker, Access Utah County communications outreach manager.

In order to meet that goal, all construction on the projects must be completed by 2010 when reconstruction on I-15 begins. Work on SR 92 begins this month and Pioneer Crossing is on track to begin soon as well.

"It's going to be a huge alternate route," said Walker. "All that traffic has to go someplace ... plus it's going to be great for economic development."

With the Redwood Road reconstruction from Salt Lake County to Pioneer Crossing across to Vineyard, there will be a corridor of transportation open to drivers allowing them to bypass I-15 until 800 North in Orem.

"That's one of the chief benefits to have this in place," said Bryan Adams, UDOT Utah County program director. "The other benefit that we really like is at the two ends of it there will be two commuter rail stops."

The stops will be for Frontrunner and will provide access to the commuter rail for north Utah County from south Lehi (American Fork Main Street) to 800 North in Orem.

Comments on the proposed alternative routes for the Vineyard Connector can be given until the deadline on July 15 at udot.utah.gov/vineyard, 801-753-7343, or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it