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Just build it.
That's the only reasonable conclusion for current studies of the proposed Vineyard Connector. The Utah Department of Transportation is conducting its usual thorough analysis of routes for the highway, but the key element is this: It's needed now, will be desperately needed in two years, and will still be needed for years to come.
We strongly urge state officials to move with all possible speed to design and build this road, and we urge local residents to get behind the project.
The road is essential, according to the Mountainland Association of Government's master plan for the region. It is meant to address anticipated growth in the county but especially urgently to provide an option when the reconstruction of Interstate 15 begins in 2010.
Running west of I-15, the Vineyard Connector would begin at 800 North in Orem and wind up through the Geneva property to American Fork. The final route hasn't been picked; about 20 options have been put forward.
The Vineyard Connector is in the environmental design stage, but has been funded. Every driver in Utah County should hope it moves ahead expeditiously.
Even today, when traffic backs up on I-15, drivers have few if any options. When the reconstruction project starts, driving on it many days will be a nightmare. And current alternate routes such as State Street surely will be clogged by others trying to avoid the freeway.
There absolutely must be an alternative route, and a glance at the map shows that the Vineyard Connector route will likely have the least impact on the area.
We've seen one objection that there's no need for it now. This is misleading. It is overwhelmingly obvious that by 2010 drivers all over Utah County -- and especially residents of the Vineyard-Lindon-American Fork area -- will be screaming for another route. And it cannot be built overnight.
It is also easy to predict that by the time the last line is painted on the rebuilt I-15, the lakeshore in and around Vineyard will be much more populated and residents will require the road anyway. There's been some grumbling that the road won't benefit those specific communities, but the opposite is true.
At the moment, only one thing could hold up this badly needed highway: an outbreak of NIMBY. The "not in my backyard" syndrome has become more and more prevalent. We note that when UDOT, after careful study, proposed a similar connector across 2100 North in Lehi, officials and residents raised such a fuss that UDOT finally backed off the main proposal, and settled for a much smaller project that may not do much to help relieve traffic congestion in that area.
Sadly, the nation also seems to be suffering an epidemic of NIMBYism. Observers have noted a general trend in which private concerns have trumped the greater good. Certainly government must take every step to avoid disrupting the lives of individuals; nor must it abuse its power. But there comes a point where the needs of a large number of individuals outweigh the needs of the few.
The reality is that any road project in Utah County will inconvenience some people and cause some disruption of daily lives. But the lives of more people will be inconvenienced if the Vineyard Connector is delayed.
It must be said that UDOT seems to take great pains to find out what the public wants and then minimize the impact of any project. There are things the agency can be criticized for, but it spends years planning for projects and seeking public input. It's safe to assume that in this case the agency will make every effort to minimize the impact.
The question is whether the advantages to many people clearly outweigh the inconveniences suffered by a few. The Vineyard Connector is such a case. The needs of the vast majority of Utah County residents must come first. |
