A proposed I-15 bypass corridor was the subject of a public meeting attended Wednesday by about 250 people.

Jeannine K. Wirth, a vice president with H.W. Lochner Inc., said some of those in attendance expressed concern about the impact of traffic increases associated with the proposed road in local neighborhoods and the possibility of losing their home or business if it happens to lie in the pathway of the project."In general, most seemed to support the idea," said Wirth, whose consulting engineering and planning firm is working with the city on the project.

Much of the area being discussed for the project lies within the confines of the old Murray smelter. North and south of the smelter site, the corridor would move along existing roadway that might have to be widened or reconfigured. In addition, there are areas where the project would snake back and forth to form a continuous road.

Current cost estimates for the project range from $35 million to $40 million, and city officials hope to garner funding by attaching the project to the I-15 reconstruction planned by state officials. Wirth said the city would know by early or late spring of 1997 if those funding hopes will become a reality.

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On the other hand, if public response to the corridor is negative, the project may be scrapped altogether. Wirth said her company will tabulate the results of surveys completed by Murray residents at the public hearing and present those to the city for review.

The transportation corridor would begin at Main Street at 3300 or 3900 South and meander west until it ends on Cottonwood Street (266 West) at about 7200 South. The idea for the project dates back to the city's 1992 master plan but has picked up momentum lately because of the proposed widening of I-15.

City leaders hope the corridor could be used during I-15 construction to reroute traffic through the city. If that idea comes to fruition, the state would be able to more quickly complete I-15 through the Murray area and the city would get a much-needed roadway.

Wirth said an additional public hearing might take place in two or three months depending upon whether sufficient data was gathered at Wednesday's meeting.

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