Developer says Utah Lake bridge to be done in 3 years

(Daily Herald) A bridge proposal across Utah Lake won't require federal approval, though the state has an extensive vetting plan.

"We are really at the beginning of this whole process," said Dave Grierson with the state division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands at a public hearing on Thursday night.

No federal funds or lands are part of the private proposal and the bridge's pylon design doesn't trigger the Clean Water Act, Grierson said, leaving Utah officials to do the heavy lifting. A team from different disciplines -- including financial, legal, environmental, wildlife and transportation -- will be put together to vet the toll project pitched by Utah Crossing Inc.

Grierson said there is no time line for approval of a bridge, only that "we will take as long as it takes to make a good decision."

Leon Harward with Utah Crossing is more optimistic.

"We'll open for traffic in approximately three years," he told about 100 people who came to speak out, write in or just listen.

Harward was assailed by some in the crowd as an opportunistic developer who wants to make good on a land investment on the west side of the lake, as opposed to a forward-looking transportation planner with a "sustainable, eco-friendly bridge."

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