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Provo » Leon Harward, who wants to build a bridge across Utah Lake, sees it as correcting a deficiency in the vision of Utah's founders: No east-west corridor.
"Ever since Brigham Young came to town, the question has been how to get from north to south," said Harward, one of the principals of Utah Lake Crossing.
But many of the residents who spoke at the Utah Lake Commission's hearing on the proposed Utah Lake bridge, said the span would destroy the lake and inject urban sprawl into the Cedar Valley area west of the lake.
More than 80 people attended Thursday night's hearing in the Utah County Health and Justice Building. Of the more than 30 people who signed up to speak, most were opposed to the bridge, which would run from near Pelican Point in Saratoga Springs eastward to Orem at 800 North. Harward said the bridge, which would eventually have two structures carrying six lanes of traffic, would be paid for with tolls, which he said would be set at about the price of a gallon of gas.
Harward said the bridge is needed to accommodate the additional half-million people who are expected to live in Utah County in the next 50 years. By linking to 800 North, it not only would connect to a proposed transit hub, but link to the road going through Provo Canyon, creating a true east-west corridor.
But others say that the bridge would just encourage more sprawl rather than smart-growth that
"My problem is when people say they want to come to the country for country living, and they bring the city with them," said Ronald Sweatman, a Saratoga Springs resident and former mayoral candidate.
Others raised concerns about the effect the bridge would have on the lake's environment, especially if runoff carries pollutants from the roadbed into the lake.
Marsha McLean, a member of the Utah Valley Sierra Forum, compared the runoff to "excrement" and would be another example of how the lake has been abused by those living around it.
But Doug Harris of Highland said the bridge would actually help the lake by making people more aware of it.
"I think the big part of what we are aware of is what we see," Harris said. "People crossing the bridge would see the lake and shore and would care about it."
Jeff Geertsen of Provo said something has to be done about the growth and traffic, and he supported the bridge.
It is up to the state Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to approve the request to build the bridge and its final plans.
