The City Council discussed for an hour how to build a road connecting the future I-15 interchange at 13550 South and Highland Drive.
Though no action was taken Tuesday afternoon, that did not prevent an argument from breaking out.Councilman Paul Lunt, the city's representative to the Wasatch Front Regional Council, which is made up of entities responsible for examining future traffic needs, said the city has to be prepared to compromise, even if it does not like the agreed-upon route.
"If we fight it any more," Lunt said, "They'll put it right through the center of town."
Draper holds only one of five votes on the Regional Council, which also includes Sandy, Salt Lake County, the Utah Department of Transportation, and the Utah Transit Authority. The five members are working on a major investment study on the estimated $80 million project to build a road that runs roughly from I-15 through Draper into Sandy and ultimately to the I-215 freeway.
The thrust of the controversy for Draper is the southern leg of the project, where Highland Drive would meet the freeway. Transportation planners must do a balancing act between what is best from a traffic standpoint with what is best for Draper, which will undoubtedly have to sacrifice homes and open space to accommodate the road.
"This is the most critical issue we are working on," Lunt said.
The Regional Council has examined more than a dozen possible routes, each being a bitter pill for Draper officials to swallow, particularly Councilwoman Melanie Dansie.
Dansie implored Lunt to fight harder to make the traffic planners at the Regional Council swing the Bangerter Highway interchange to 14600 South and avoid impacting Draper in any big way.
"Have faith in our opinion," Dansie said. "Because we are right."
Lunt said that Dansie's option has been looked at and rejected. And if the city digs in and refuses to compromise, the other voting members of the council could push the road through Draper's heart without the city's support.
Public Works director Paul Glauser said when Draper's population doubles or triples in 10 to 20 years, they will be glad to have this extra road that ferries people from the South Mountain and Centennial subdivisions to the freeway.
The Regional Council has chosen an unofficial preferred route for the connection and, once they have it officially narrowed to one, will begin doing an environmental impact statement. Officials have said the road won't actually get built for at least five years.