Leaders in south Davis County can hardly believe the news that Salt Lake officials would think about supporting the closure of Victory Road.

"It's asinine," said Mayor Bob Linnell. "They must be sending up some kind of trial balloon . . . or maybe they're trying to get some political trade-offs for an interchange at North Temple."Linnell's comments follow the news that Salt Lake City will study whether closing the popular route into and from Davis County would take enough cars off Capitol neighborhood streets to make a North Temple ramp more attractive to residents.

The city has said it neither supports nor opposes a freeway interchange. But the ramp combined with closure of Victory Road is clearly emerging as an attractive package.

Brian Hatch, deputy mayor, told the Deseret News this week that the "major decision left to be made is a choice between North Temple and Victory Road." He suggested the state could open a half-interchange that would admit only Davis County traffic, thus allowing a closure of Victory.

Hatch said the city wouldn't propose closing Victory entirely but just ending it in the parking lots of the Capitol building.

North Salt Lake Mayor Jake Simmons scoffs at the idea.

"It's just not practical for people living in Davis County. I use that road more than any other to get to the city and I think most of our residents do."

And Bountiful City manager Tom Hardy thinks the proposal wouldn't do what's intended. He said closing Victory and making a North Temple interchange would only funnel more cars up through Capitol Hill neighborhoods. "People are going to do whatever it takes to get to the Hill faster and easier."

But Hatch said an interchange and ending Victory in Capitol parking lots would be a "win-win situation" for everybody. "An interchange would be quicker for Davis traffic than Victory is right now. It could funnel university traffic along 100 South and turn 300 and 400 West into direct routes downtown."

Both 300 West and 400 West would become one-way streets, he said. "It's easier to synchronize lights on one-way streets." And ending Victory at the Capitol would ease area residents' concerns about heavy traffic flows near their homes.

House Minority Leader Frank Pignanelli, who represents the area, likes the idea of closing Victory.

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"It'd be wonderful. That road is a very ineffective and dangerous way to get Davis County traffic to the Capitol."

He favors more use of 300 West but does not support an interchange at North Temple, thinking it would increase flows up through residential neighborhoods. "We should study an interchange possibly at 400 South."

In the end, the state Department of Transportation will decide what, if anything, happens to Victory and North Temple. The department does rely heavily on local input like that offered from Salt Lake City.

Still, Gene Sturzenegger, director of the transportation district that controls Victory, says the state "would have a hard time" giving control of the road to Salt Lake City.

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