Lehi has paved the way for commuters to bypass the city's congested Main Street on their way to Interstate 15 or Cedar Valley.

The city's $7 million 2100 North project is complete, except for a 90-space park-and-ride lot under construction for UTA northeast of the crossroads of 2100 North and Thanksgiving Way. The price tag for the road includes the purchase of about 20 acres of right of way.

"That's give or take a half a million," Lorin Powell, Lehi city engineer, said of the cost.

The new road will help ease traffic on Main Street, especially when a train blocks the street, which happened twice last week. It connects Thanksgiving Way to State Road 73, via 2300 West, 1500 North and county road 10400 West.

"That will provide some additional relief for Lehi residents," said Geoff Dupaix, a Utah Department of Transportation spokesman. "Every little bit helps. Really, it's great to hear that leg is nearing completion."

He said 2100 North would provide another corridor so commuters don't have to use Lehi Main Street, and it is being looked at as part of the Mountain View Corridor study as one of the east-west options. City leaders have said they hope the project completion will entice UDOT and other state agencies to complete a straight 2100 North thoroughfare from 2300 West to Redwood Road sooner than later.

"That whole area and its interconnectivity is being looked at by the I-15 environmental study and the Mountain View environmental study," Dupaix said.

Project plans began in spring 2002 and UDOT approved $6 million of corridor preservation funds for the right of way in 2003. About $1 million went into engineering and construction.

Lehi resident Reed Sunderland couldn't be more thrilled about the park-and-ride lot. His street turns into Thanksgiving Way 50 yards north of his house, and the street is a popular parking spot for commuters, a situation the lot should change.

"I think it's great and it's needed," Sunderland said. "It's not just our street. It's all up and down State Street, it's all over town."

He said he is concerned for the safety of the commuters who run across State Street with their hands waving to stop traffic as they catch the northbound bus.

At one point parking got so bad along his street from the commuters' parked vehicles, Sunderland said, that residents couldn't get garbage pickup or mail dropped off.

"Now we have 'no parking' signs on our side of the street and it's gotten better," he said.

Just less than one more mile of road and bridge is needed to connect 2100 North, which stops at 2300 West, to county roads on the west side of the Jordan River, Powell said.

Without the mile of road and bridge, from southbound I-15 commuters can now connect to the new 2100 North by turning west onto Trinnaman Lane, then north onto Thanksgiving Way, which used to be West Frontage Road, then west onto 2100 North. From there, the road isn't a straight shot to SR 73, or Main Street. To get to SR 73 from 2100 North, drivers need to turn south onto 2300 West and turn west onto 1500 North and then turn south onto 10400 West.

"Two things about this are exciting," Powell said. "One is that we've preserved the right of way for the future interchange is invaluable and second is that we were able to facilitate a safer interim road and park and ride facility for the public."

The project anticipates the reconstruction of I-15, tentatively scheduled for 2011, and UDOT's planned single point urban interchange there. Similar to the Orem interchange on University Parkway, the Lehi exits will travel under the freeway instead and the traffic light will be under the I-15 overpass.

Powell is excited they have been able to preserve the future of the interchange.

"He worked hard at it and he's put a lot of time and effort into getting it built," Jim Hewitson, Lehi public works director, said of Powell.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.