Locals Seek Insight, Share Concerns with UDOT at March 19 Open House

An open house hosted last week by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Payson I-15 Interchange Environmental Study at the Clarion Event Center was well attended.  Local residents business owners arrived throughout the two-hour public event, seeking information as to what might become of the North Main Street interchange and eager to share their concerns with UDOT officials.

“We’re here holding a public meeting tonight to get public input on a study process we just started, and that’s looking at the I-15 Interchange at Payson Main Street,” explained Eileen Barron, UDOT Region 3 Communications Manager.  “So, tonight, we’re really interested in people’s ideas, as well as concerns about how transportation functions around that interchange and how we can make improvements to help transportation function better around that area.”

According to Ms. Barron, the event was part of the early stage in the process of determining how to proceed.  “It’s a great time to provide public input and all the comments during the period called ‘scoping’ helps us shape different options and alternatives as the study process moves forward,” she said.  “So we’re asking people to help us identify what’s important for residents of Payson.  Are there certain resources, be they historical or natural resources, such as a spring or a well?  Help us identify those now, at this early stage.  Also, we’re open to ideas about what types of solutions could we bring to this interchange area. And so all those comments will be taken into consideration as we move forward in the study.”

Alternative concepts will be developed after the scoping period, according to Ms. Barron.

“We’ve been working on understanding the traffic patterns,” she added. “The input we get at this meeting tonight and in the next few weeks, because people can continue to comment using our project website as well.”

Here is what some of the residents and business owners attending the meeting last week had to say.

“My opinion is that I think there’s a real advantage in having the interchange somewhere other than it is now,” said Payson resident and active civic volunteer, Jim Hartzell.  “During the construction phase, it [would not] disrupt any of our travel in and out of town.  It also wouldn’t affect the businesses and the historic houses along Main Street, you know, where they would need to widen the road to accommodate future traffic. And, anyway I see that as some of the advantages of having it somewhere, maybe between here and Benjamin.  

“We ought to leave the exit, the interchange where it’s at on Main Street, widen it like they did in Spanish Fork,” said Stan Spencer, a lifelong city resident and fifty-year veteran on the Payson Fire Department, who owned and operated a successful furniture store on South Payson Main Street through the 1990s.  

According to Mr. Spencer, he is opposed to moving the interchange east of its current location to Bamberger Drive, as it could could create problems for people and businesses in the area.  Instead, he advocated for retaining its current location and upgrading North Main Street to better accommodate traffic.

“I’d say, leave Main Street alone,” he remarked, “[but] widen it.”

For Payson business owner, Bri Raven, finances and change are his main concerns.

“I’m just a little concerned about who’s paying for it and where the money’s coming from to pay for this project,” he said.  “I’d rather see us wait until economic good conditions come before we worry about spending the money.

“If this is going to spend money that we don’t have, I’m not for it.  I’m okay with making do. I don’t know if I am for it or against it.  I don’t think I’m going to be that much for it.”

Mr. Raven was raised in Payson and graduated from Payson High School in 1989.  For the past twenty years, he has owned and operated a mechanic shop in central Payson, which he notes could be affected by changes being considered.

“One concern I had, me and family members, we were worried about how this plan has some similarities to the Agenda 21---the UN plan--for our community,” he added.  “We are very concerned about that. [It is] something that looks like it’s a plan to basically get us out of our vehicles and have mass transit, so we can do what they want us to do on their schedule instead of on our schedule, with our own automobiles and our own time frame.”  

“I personally feel like they should leave the present on/off ramp and if they want to put another one further north, that would open up a lot of property down toward Benjamin and back toward the Salem area,” said Ross Huff, longtime Payson resident, businessman, and active volunteer in the local community.  “But if they eliminate the present on/off ramp, that kills the businesses that’s built around there.  So I’m all for whatever they want to do going north, but I also think they should leave the present one where it is on Main Street.”  

UDOT will continue to consider public comments through April 20, according to Communications Manager Barron.  They may be sent to UDOT through April 20 by email at paysoneis@utah.gov or via their website, at udot.utah.gov/go/paysoneis.