At the city's first open house on the proposed Provo Westside Connector plan, opinions were mixed on what should be done to alleviate traffic west of Interstate 15, or even on whether anything should be done at all.

The city is about to begin an environmental impact study on about nine square miles in the southwestern part of town between I-15, the Provo River and Utah Lake.

The study, which is expected to last about three years, will determine how several transportation proposals would affect the area. It will look at issues such as soil stability, the impact on wetlands and wildlife, and, of course, the impact on the people who live there.

David Graves, Provo's assistant city engineer and the project manager for the study, said the city is looking for new ways for people to access the area, which includes the Provo Municipal Airport. Current routes, such as Center Street, are often choked with traffic.

Some options include widening Center Street or creating a new road that would branch off from University Avenue, though Graves said the city is keeping an open mind and is taking input from residents.

"At this point in time we don't have any preconceived notions about where it's going to be built or when it's going to be built or if it's going to be built," he said.

Dozens of people came to the two-hour open house at Amelia Earhart Elementary School to learn about the proposals, ask questions and express their concerns.

Many wondered how a new road or a wider Center Street might affect people's property in the area. Ricardo Rodriguez, who owns a half acre in the study area, said he didn't think the proposal is a bad thing, as long as the city respects people's property rights and doesn't impose itself on residents.

However, he still seemed skeptical.

"I'm not really impressed with development because it seems like the residents are basically pretty much always on the losing end. If it's not one thing, it's another," he said. "I hope that as they go through this process that they really take people's feelings and thoughts into consideration."

Scott Argyle worried that a new thoroughfare coming in from University Avenue would impinge on his property and cut off his access to Utah Lake. Right now he just goes through his backyard.

"This road, I believe, is going to go right behind my home," he said.

Kristen Randle, who keeps horses on an acre and a half of land in the study area, worried that some of her property could be taken for a new road.

"It scares me because I'm a very small property owner and if they take even a little bit of my land I'm in trouble," she said.

With all the new homes and development in the area, Michael Scott said widening Center Street might be necessary, but did not want to see any new roads built there.

Other people, such as Randle, oppose even a road widening because it will invite more development in the area.

"I'm a defender of open spaces. I don't want a bunch of development in the middle of that farmland. You have to have farmland. It's very short-sighted ... to build a bunch of houses all over every bit of arable land we've got," she said.

Not everyone was opposed to the plans. Diona Wilson, who helps manage the 180-acre East Bay Business Center in the study zone, thought more access for traffic would allow local business to use the Provo airport for travel more often, as opposed to driving to Salt Lake City.

"They're very excited about having airfare available and air flights available to major western cities," she said of local businesses.

And while most people seemed concerned with the effect a new road would have on people, Gloria Anderson worried about what it would do to the wetlands near Utah Lake.

"Once the wetlands are gone, they're gone forever," she said. "I do think if they're going to keep building they've got to do something, but wetlands should be sacred."

Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.