Motorists today are driving the first segment of the new West Valley Highway in a matter of minutes, but it took the first car about 25 years to make the trip.
First proposed in the 1960s, the long-awaited highway became a reality Tuesday afternoon with the opening of six lanes from 2100 South to 3500 South at roughly 4000 West. When completed, the expressway could extend all the way to 13600 South.Many west-side residents, business and community leaders, government officials and highway planners view the West Valley Highway as the most significant development in the Salt Lake Valley's transportation network since the construction of I-215.
"This is something I didn't expect to see in my lifetime," said West Valley Mayor Brent F. Anderson, referring to the rocky road the project has traveled.
The highway began as a locally financed endeavor and was almost abandoned when Salt Lake County and participating cities decided they could not afford the increasing cost. Although the county managed to build a portion of the route - 4000 West from North Temple to 2100 South - with federal funds, it was unable to continue it southward as planned.
But the project had a powerful ally: Gov. Norm Bangerter. A longtime resident of West Valley, the governor had supported the cause for years and persuaded the Legislature in 1988 to adopt it as its own. The West Valley Highway became U-154, a designation destined to be overshadowed by its more popular name.The governor and influential legislators, lobbyists and local government officials even convinced the Legislature to dip into the general fund and bonding revenue for the $13 million needed to build the first segment of the road.
"This is just the beginning of what will be the West Valley Highway," Bangerter said at the road's dedication ceremony Tuesday. Funding is in place to extend the highway to 6200 South within the next two years, and preliminary work will proceed to 9000 South, he said.
Noting that he will be moving to South Jordan after he leaves office in 1993, Bangerter quipped that extending the highway to 10600 South (near his new home) will be a top priority.
While the governor and others call the West Valley Highway the "key link" in the westside transportation network, they stress that it can't be the only link in the fastest growing area of the state. West Valley - population 90,000 - is already the second-largest city in Utah. The population of neighboring West Jordan is rapidly approaching 50,000. South Jordan, Riverton and Bluffdale are also booming.
Bangerter said 5600 West must eventually become a major corridor and east-west routes must be enhanced, a view shared by local officials.
West Jordan City Manager Terry Holzworth said his city is involved in a cooperative effort with other jurisdictions to widen 9000 South. By the time the West Valley Highway reaches that point, 9000 South will be able to handle the increased east-west traffic, he explained.
Holzworth said West Jordan and other southwest valley communities will actively lobby for continued funding of the West Valley Highway. "We're anxious for it to reach us. We're tickled to death to have it this far (3500 South). It's a great day."
Salt Lake County Commissioner Randy Horiuchi says the governmental partnership that built the West Valley Highway can be applied to the rest of the valley's transportation problems. Only a coalition of governments can afford and manage the enormous transportation tasks ahead, he said.
According to Wayne S. Winters, vice-chairman of the Utah Transportation Commission, those tasks have a $1 billion price tag, including about $500 million to add two lanes to I-15.
Eugene H. Findlay, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation, said the next phase of the West Valley Highway to 5400 South will be put out to bid next month. It will cost about $70 million to extend the concrete expressway to 9000 South and another $70 million to reach the southern end of the valley, he said.
The immediate beneficiary of the road is West Valley City, which has endured growing traffic congestion. Anderson said the route offers some welcome relief for the "bumper-to-bumper" rush-hour traffic in his community.
And glancing at Bangerter, he assured his neighbors to the south that the highway is likely to continue. "You know it's going go to South Jordan, don't you?" Anderson said.