SOUTH WEBER, Davis County (AP) -- State transportation officials may not have the money to fund part of a planned $20 million interchange project meant to ease congestion during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The interchange at U.S. 89 and South Weber Drive is on the way to Snowbasin Ski Area, the site of six Olympic events. The plan is build an overpass to eliminate the need for a stoplight at an intersection level with fast-moving traffic on U.S. 89.But the Utah Department of Transportation says it probably won't have the money for a one-mile stretch of highway that would connect the interchange with South Weber Drive, the city's main artery.
The state has already spent $4.5 million to buy property east of U.S. 89 for the project. But with land prices higher than originally estimated, officials say they will be $5 million short.
UDOT would like to finish the core interchange project using federal Olympic money and realign South Weber Drive later, said Brent DeYoung, who is overseeing the project for UDOT.
But city officials were counting on the realignment to help create a new business district, since the city's old commercial district was wiped out when the state bought up land for the project.
DeYoung said he is aware of South Weber's plight and has requested additional state funds for the project. He expects an answer in September.
Meanwhile, he said, the core interchange paves the way for a relocated South Weber Drive sometime in the future.
"It makes sense to complete whatever portion we can complete with this Olympic funding," DeYoung said.
But Mayor Henry Dickamore believes his city has sacrificed too much of its own commercial property and is taking his concern to the County Commission and other mayors in the county.
He says South Weber and its 3,600 residents will lose $11,000 annually in sales tax revenue alone from the loss of the city's main business district. The only other stretch of commercial property in the city is a small section across the street from City Hall.
"In the end, we are the ones being asked to bear the brunt of this," Dickamore said.