Bridge debate creates waves

SARATOGA SPRINGS (Deseret News) — Jolean Domson spends 90 minutes every day commuting 20 miles from her home in Saratoga Springs to her job at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Most of that time is spent on a frustrating few miles of one of Utah's busiest — and slowest — roads: Main Street in Lehi.

Gavin Whiting, another Saratoga Springs resident, calls the rush-hour traffic "a nightmare." Whiting, 42, has a daughter who battles the traffic each night on her way to work in Orem.

But unlike Domson, 39, who says a bridge across Utah Lake would be beneficial for residents' safety and time, Whiting doesn't think saving a few minutes in travel time is worth sacrificing the beauty of the lake.

These are just a few of the concerns Leon Harward and his group, Utah Crossing Inc., will confront in the next year as they seek government approval to build a $600 million, privately funded bridge across Utah Lake.

Discussion of building a bridge across the lake has been on the table for decades, Harward said, but it's never moved beyond the discussion phase.

Original Article