Analyst: Utah Lake bridge will lose money

(Salt Lake Tribune) Environmentalists have attacked the proposed Utah Lake Bridge as harmful to Utah Lake's environment and a potential enabler of urban sprawl on the lake's west shore.

Now, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups say studies show the bridge will not be cost-effective.

An analysis by Vermont-based Smart Mobility land-use consultants says it would take 58 to 87 years of collecting tolls to pay back investors in the first phase of the project -- assuming none wanted interest on their money.

The Sierra Club and other groups submitted the findings, based on traffic data from Mountainland Association of Governments, to the state Division of Forestry, Fire and Sovereign Lands on Monday. The division is evaluating developer Leon Harward's plans to span the lake with a pair of privately-owned toll bridges. The division is also looking at a proposal from environmentalists that calls for leaving the lake as it is.

"It just goes to show that this is not a viable option, and the state should just reject it," said Marc Heilesen, the Sierra Club's regional representative.

Harward dismissed the report. "They're entitled to their opinions," he said.

His plan would charge drivers $3 to go each way on the bridge. The collected tolls would be used to pay back investors who will put up $600 million for the entire project, as well as cover operating costs.

Original Article