Utah Legislature: I-15 expansion may go on to Payson

PAYSON (Deseret News) — Pinching dollars may stretch the Utah County I-15 reconstruction project to Payson.

With reconstruction currently planned to stop at about 6800 South in Spanish Fork, a handful of legislators support a proposal to take the net savings, if there is any, from the $1.7 billion project and use it to add extra lanes from Spanish Fork to Payson.

The caveat is there must be at least $10 million in savings, the estimated cost of adding one lane northbound and one lane southbound, said Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan.

Payson resident Gregory Anderson takes the freeway about twice a week to run errands in Provo.

He said he'd be happy if new lanes were added. "During the heavy traffic times, it's crowded, congested."

About four miles separate 6800 South in Spanish Fork and Payson. If the project is extended, almost the entire vision for I-15 in Utah County could be realized. The county had an estimated 530,837 residents in 2008, compared with 368,536 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census.

After the I-15 reconstruction in Salt Lake County was finished, the Utah Department of Transportation turned attention to Utah County.

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