ST. GEORGE — Residents who live in and near the project area for a proposed interchange at Interstate 15 and 700 South attended a third open house hosted by the Utah Department of Transportation to learn more about the preferred design for the interchange while also getting another chance to provide comments.

“This is the final stage in getting public input on the research we’ve done on the transportation needs in the area,” said Kevin Kitchen, senior communications manager for UDOT’s Region 4.

The open house was held Wednesday afternoon at Utah Tech University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza and was a continuation of previous open houses held for the 700 South interchange environmental study. The last meeting was held in November, which followed the first held last May.

Road planners say a new interchange on I-15 at 700 South is needed to help alleviate current and future congestion at the nearby Dixie Drive/Exit 6 and St. George Boulevard/Exit 8 interchanges that the region’s continuing growth will bring. It also is projected to improve the overall regional mobility and access to that part of St. George, which includes Utah Tech University and St. George Regional Hospital.

While UDOT representatives of the open house touted the potential benefits the interchange could have for regional transportation once built, some area residents and elected officials remain skeptical of the need and are weary of the impacts it could have on that part of downtown St. George.

Purpose and need

UDOT officials explained that an interchange built at 700 South would help ease current and future traffic congestion at the St. George Boulevard/Exit 8 and Bluff Street/Exit 6 interchanges on I-15. Congestion at these interchanges is projected to rise by 17-20% by 2050 if nothing is done to address the issue beforehand, according to the environmental study.

This could also translate to cars backing up several hundred feet onto the highway if the projected congestion is not addressed.

The environmental study UDOT conducted looked at the issue and how a new interchange could ease congestion at Exits 6 and 8. It also looked at the impact building the structure could have on that part of downtown St. George and how local transportation demands may also be met.

The project area primarily covered 700 South from 700 East to 900 East, and also extended east and west beyond those points, the extent of which appears to vary depending on which map someone looks at in the environmental study.

After looking at various design alternatives, road planners settled on a design that is considered to have the least neighborhood impact while also being the least expensive to construct.

Elements of the preferred alternative subject to change

While the environmental assessment shows a general design of the interchange, Kitchen said only about 30% of the overall design is complete, and stressed many aspects of the actual project could change moving forward should the preferred design get final approval in the form of a “record of decision” that is expected to be issued later this year.

“That is the green light to go ahead and look at further design,” he said.

Elements of the proposed design may be widened or narrowed as the process moves forward, Kitchen said, noting this can impact areas marked in the environmental study where proposed infrastructure improvements may take place or property may be taken for right-of-way.

Under the study’s current projections, at least one home at the corner of 700 South and 700 East may need to be taken in its entirety. The portion of 700 South where the interchange will be built will also need to be widened, which will impact businesses along that stretch of road. 800 East will be turned into a cul-de-sac and the gas station at 800 East and 700 South could also be removed.

While there are future plans to widen 700 South to three lanes between 700 East and Bluff Street by the city of St. George, this is not a part of the proposed interchange project.

Conversely, additions the preferred design makes include dual left turn lanes on 700 East, a 12-foot-wide, shared-use trail on the north side of 700 South that runs from 800 East and extends toward 1000 East, and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk on the south side of 700 South.

Though the overall design is meant to address the needs of pedestrians and cyclists in addition to interstate and local traffic, it also introduces eight new potential conflict points between traffic and pedestrians, according to the study.

A summary of the listed pros and cons the proposed alternative carries can be found on page 15 of the PDF of the environmental study.

Local concerns continue

“I’m pretty stressed out about it,” area resident Mary Jo Pett said.

Pett lives on 900 East, which the study projects will double its daily traffic by 2050 if the interchange is built.

The area around 900 East is home to many senior citizens, Pett added, and it is already hard for them to access their homes off 700 South and 900 East due to current traffic conditions. There are also fears that having an interchange so close to there will cause property values to drop, she said.

“I see no good happening for those who live on 900 East,” Pett said.

Members of the St. George City Council also attended the open house and shared their concerns.

“There’s has been overwhelming concern from the community and from residents,” Councilwoman Michelle Tanner said. “Do the benefits of this project justify the potential risks that our citizens are concerned about?”

A primary concern for Tanner relates to the rise in drug busts conducted on I-15, which is known to be a heavily-used drug trafficking corridor.

“If this is my neighborhood, I don’t want those people exiting off and getting into my neighborhood with those drugs,” she said.

Councilwoman Danielle Larkin also has misgivings about the proposed interchange as it would go into a walkable part of town. The area also has children who walk through it due to the presence of nearby schools. Before any interchange goes in, she said she wants to see other projects put in first.

“I’d like to see us do other things first that are mitigating measures,” Larkin said.

These measures would include the creation of new underpasses at 400 South and 800 East for better local connectivity and the completion of the proposed extension of George Washington Boulevard (1450 South) from River Road to the Exit 6/Dixie Drive interchange.

Both Tanner and Larkin stressed the need for people to comment on the environmental study’s findings as that period will soon come to an end (June 11), and it will be the last time UDOT takes public input on the pending project. However, both also said they wondered just how much public comments will be used to direct the study’s final outcome.

“At this point, I think its best we make the comments we can,” Tanner said.

Despite offering comments, verbally and written, some open house attendees said they felt the interchange was a done deal and whatever they had to say really didn’t matter.

Public input and what’s ahead

“I think the idea that what you say here doesn’t matter is a fallacy,” Kitchen said. “The trick during an environmental phase is to make sure that your comments are substantive when it relates to the environmental impacts and transportation needs.”

Kitchen added that UDOT wants the public to “shoot their bullets” at the study, yet also understand they need to comment on the environmental study’s findings and nothing else.

The record of decision for the 700 South interchange is anticipated to be issued later this year, and while it may pave the way for complete design work, the remainder of the project has yet to be funded.

What is funded is the project to widen I-15 between St. George Boulevard and Dixie Drive. This project will widen the highway to three lanes in both directions and also see the replacement and improvement of the bridges over 700 South. This project will move forward whether or not the interchange is funded by then. Work is anticipated to begin sometime in 2024.

“You’ll see the lanes coming regardless,” Kitchen said.

Funding for the 700 South interchange may become available in the coming year or may not. It depends on what is available from the state and is considered a funding priority. The project could be ready to go by 2024 or later depending on whether the funding works out, Kitchen said.

The public input period for the environmental study runs through June 11.

The public can both review the environmental assessment and submit comments on the project’s website.

Comments can be submitted at the in-person public meeting, through the study website, by email, or mailed to I-15 St. George Study (c/o Avenue Consultants), 113 N. 200 East, Suite 3, St. George, UT 84770.

Physical copies of the environmental assessment also can be found at:

• St. George City Library Reference Desk | 88 W. 100 South, St. George.
• St. George City Office Engineering Department | 175 E. 200 North, St. George.
• UDOT Region 4 Office | 5340 S. 5300 West, Hurricane.
• UDOT Central Office | 4501 Constitution Blvd., Taylorsville, Utah.

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