With so much growth in the south portion of Utah County, the Utah Department of Transportation is planning for a new Spanish Fork interchange and is seeking citizen input.

UDOT has already held several meetings with residents and stakeholders and has received Spanish Fork’s option for an interchange. The city’s choice is at Center Street close to Spanish Fork High School. UDOT is hoping residents will give input while there is still time before decisions are finalized, according to spokesman Wyatt Woolley.

UDOT released the draft purpose and need statement of the I-15 Spanish Fork Interchange Study for public comment as part of its environmental impact study. The purpose is to improve safe and efficient access to and across I-15 for all users in central Spanish Fork and surrounding communities, according to Darren Bunker, project manager.

Bunker said the plan is to prepare for accommodating travel demand by 2050, only 27 years away. The purpose has three primary objectives:

• Improve regional mobility by providing better access to I-15 for commuters in Spanish Fork and surrounding communities.
• Provide safe and efficient east-west connectivity across I-15 for all users, in alignment with community plans.
• Improve local mobility by reducing congestion on Main Street.

Developing the draft purpose and need statement follows the scoping phase of the study, during which UDOT performed a traffic study, conducted surveys, held public meetings, led a stakeholder working group session, and gathered public comments to understand the transportation needs of the central Spanish Fork area.

“The purpose and need drives the environmental study process and provides a foundation for the types of alternatives (solutions) we develop,” Bunker said. “We are seeing a significant need to help improve regional mobility in the Spanish Fork area, with traffic backing up over a mile and onto I-15 from the Main Street interchange by 2050. Our team would like input from the community that will help us develop solutions that will meet the needs of all transportation users in the study area.”

“We would like the input so we make sure we can make the right choices,” Woolley said. “We also want to integrate all modes of transportation.”

Woolley noted the Utah Transit Authority is planning for a FrontRunner train to stop in Spanish Fork on its way south to Payson.

The designs for the new interchange should be done by late fall of 2024 and digging could begin in 2025. First, it must go to the Utah Legislature for funding, Woolley noted.

In addition to the draft purpose and need statement, UDOT is asking the community to provide input on the criteria that will be used to screen multiple concepts down to one or more action alternatives that will be evaluated in detail, as well as criteria to evaluate how well an action alternative meets the purpose of and need for improvements. Criteria for screening and evaluation include traffic volumes, traffic queue lengths, delay times and compatibility with regional plans.

UDOT is encouraging the public to submit comments on the draft purpose and need statement and criteria for screening and evaluation through Nov. 13. For more information on the study and to make a comment, residents can visit https://udotinput.utah.gov/i15spanishforkstudy#6.

Newsletter