After months of meetings and debate, the City Council has unanimously voted to approve a new master transportation plan that addresses issues relating to future I-15 expansion and Legacy Highway construction.
At its March 4 meeting, the council adopted the plan, with several key amendments that preserve the integrity of Farmington's Clark Lane Historical District.A city transportation steering committee spent the past several weeks tweaking the plan so that all the key issues were resolved as much as possible.
It was firmly decided that the at-grade intersection at 400 West and I-15 be dropped from the plan. Any other type of intersection at 400 West with a longer overpass would destroy at least one historic home.
Mayor Greg Bell said the city would remain involved with the Utah Department of Transportation in planning for both I-15 expansion and the Legacy Highway to ensure historic homes, public access and pedestrian safety are all considered.
Another key part of the city transportation plan is a preferred fly-over ramp at the south Farmington I-15 exit. Just in case UDOT won't go for that expensive recommendation, the city's second preference is a roundabout.
Councilman David Dixon said aesthetically he doesn't like a fly-over access along I-15 and would prefer the roundabout. He also believes a fly over would serve Lagoon the most.
Another issue of the transportation plan was the safety of junior high students walking on 200 West. Since there would be no I-15 access at State Street in order to preserve the historical district, more traffic would continue to funnel off the south Farmington I-15 exit.
The transportation plan involves using traffic calming devices along 200 West in front of Farmington Junior High School to enhance pedestrian safety. The steering committee did not recommend what par-tic-u-lar calming devices these might be.
The final amendment to the transportation plan is that trail access in the city must be left intact by any I-15 expansion or Legacy Highway construction.