LAYTON -- The long-awaited south Layton interchange, and attendant resurgence of what was once the city's major business district -- is "at least" four to five years away.
That's the assessment of Scott Carter, the city's Community and Economic Development director.
Mayor Jerry Stevenson and the city council have led the charge for a new, "full-service" interchange there in recent times, approaching the Utah Department of Transportation 10 years ago. with efforts going back several decades to earlier mayors -- to see that accomplished.
And while efforts to secure an Antelope Drive interchange were successful -- that being built a few years after what is now Davis Hospital &Medical Center opened in 1976 -- the South Interchange still waits.
"We have $1.5 million in funding now,"Carter said. "We need about $32 million."That funding would likely come from a variety of sources, but, with money not exactly flowing freely from government coffers these days, he doesn't know when the necessary funds might be available.
In the meantime, public input on the proposed interchange was received during a recent "project update" held last week at Layton Elementary School.
Written comments can still be submitted, if postmarked by Sept. 1, by writingH.W. Lochner, Attn:Scott Lucas, 310 E. 4500 S., Suite 600, Murray, UT 84107.
Even after money is received, it takes two years to build an interchange, Carter said. What money the city has in hand now could go to buy land for the project.
"No homes will be impacted,"Carter said. "Hatch Auto, they know it's going to happen (that they will have to move). They're willing to work with the city."
Doug & Emmy's Family Restaurant, housed in the old train station, will be relocated, as well. But plans call for actually moving the historic building several hundred feet to the north. "If they move to the commuter rail hub, it will be ready-made business for them,"Carter said.
Tentative discussions have included using part of the old train station for commuter rail-related activities.
Economic Development Coordinator Seth Butterfield has noted that inquiries about opening new businesses downtown and nearby, such as Fort Lane, seem largely to hinge on when the interchange is built.
The existing I-15 entrance and exit ramps will be eliminated along with a section of South Main between the ramps. Plans would call for construction of a new I-15 access road to connect Flint Street to the south end of Main Street and to Fort Lane to the east.
A new I-15 access road would also be created. The 900 South railroad crossing would be eliminated by including a bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
The new interchange is also expected to ease traffic congestion, possibly for at least a decade after its completion, planners indicate.
In addition, Layton officials hope to see reconstruction of the next interchange to the north, which serves the Layton Hills Mall, Gordon Lane, West HillField Road, and a burgeoning business sector. That interchange is considered by many to be the busiest in Layton, if not all of northern Utah.