The Utah Department of Transportation announced that it will be releasing its draft environmental impact statement for the Heber Valley bypass on Jan. 7.
The announcement will include identification of UDOT’s preferred alternative for the bypass, as well as information about both alternatives’ impacts on the environment and surrounding communities. The statement has been in the works since early 2020.
The bypass is intended to lower traffic on Heber City’s Main Street. In March, UDOT whittled options for the bypass route from five to two.
The primary difference between the alternatives is between Potters Lane and 900 North. There, Alternative A keeps traffic on U.S. 40, while Alternative B instead cuts through the North Fields.
UDOT anticipates that Alternative B would have impacts on 51 acres of canals, ditches, perennial streams and wetlands, while Alternative A would have impacts on about 22 acres.
Alternative B would require fewer potential property acquisitions than Alternative A — 10 as opposed to 22. Alternative B is also cheaper, costing $6.5 million less than Alternative A’s price tag of $590.4 million.
The release of the draft environmental impact statement will come after a series of delays. UDOT’s most recent holdup in the fall pushed the release from December to January so officials could complete a “final technical review” that was taking longer than expected, according to UDOT Region Three manager Craig Hancock.
UDOT’s identification of a preferred bypass route will be followed by a 60-day formal public comment period beginning Jan. 9 and ending March 9.
Once the draft environmental impact statement is published, UDOT will share information about how to review materials and submit formal public comments through the study website, emails, community newsletters, social media and mailed postcards.
The project team will present the draft environmental impact statement during the Wasatch County Council work session at 4 p.m. on Jan. 14 and the Heber City Council work session at 4 p.m. on Jan. 20.
UDOT will also host two public meetings.
The first will be a virtual meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 27. Attendees will not be allowed to make comments during this meeting.
There will also be an open house from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. the next day at the Wasatch High School library. During the open house, attendees will be allowed to speak and ask questions with project team members. The meeting will also include a presentation and formal hearing from 6 to 7:30 p.m., during which all public comments will be recorded.
Those wishing to speak during the second public hearing are encouraged to sign up in advance. UDOT will release details about how to do so once it has published the draft environmental impact statement. Residents can also submit formal public comments at hebervalleyeis.udot.gov, via phone by calling 801-210-0498 or by emailing [email protected].
UDOT asks for comments to identify specific concerns and include data, citations, observations or personal experiences as evidence.
At the end of the public comment period, UDOT will review comments and conduct further analysis as needed, then release a final environmental impact statement with responses to public comments and its finalized route.
Following the release of the final environmental impact statement, construction can begin on the bypass.