Font ResizeI read with interest the editorial "Going west: The troubled future of Utah County" (Our View, Aug. 28). I don't agree with its view on "smart growth" versus "sprawl"; good and bad are done in both. With growth, industry and high-density housing will come.
What is needed for the area west of Utah Lake is access north, south and east without all those people traveling through Lehi or Santaquin. The new development in Elberta has 60,000 acres of planned residential growth for 300,000 people, plus commercial and industrial areas. Unfortunately, this "smart growth" planning channels all traffic through Santaquin and Lehi to Interstate 15. As the area grows, regardless of how "self-contained" it is, the need for access to Salt Lake, Provo-Orem and south will grow.
The corridor for the Mountain View highway needs to continue south on the west side of Utah Lake to Nephi, instead of turning east through Camp Williams and to I-15. This road will save miles of travel and its associated pollution. The right of way needs to be planned now before the population increases. This also applies to the bridge over Utah Lake from Saratoga Springs to Provo-Orem. Now, that is "smart growth."
Howard H. Johnson Mayor of Lehi
