LAYTON - The new interchange proposed for south Layton's Main Street will allow northbound motorists to enter Interstate 15 and southbound motorists to exit. It will also punch a new east-west road through farm fields, linking Fort Lane to Flint Street and relieving congestion on Gentile Street to the north.
    But what it won't do is preserve two historical buildings that are landmarks and community gathering places: Sill's Cafe will have to go and Doug & Emmy's Family Restaurant might have to be moved as well.
    "They can't lose Sills and Doug's and Emmy's! They just can't," said Sharon Dutcher, who, with her husband, Cliff, owns Faye's Laundry and Dry Cleaning north of the proposed interchange.
The Dutchers were among about 300 people who attended a Utah Department of Transportation open house Wednesday night.
    UDOT has spent the past two years studying alternatives for a new Layton interchange, and on Wednesday unveiled its preferred alternative. It would replace two half-interchanges.
    After a public-comment period, UDOT will seek approval from the Federal Highway Administration and begin acquiring properties for the project. If all goes according to plan, construction could begin in winter, and is expected to take two years, said project manager Charles Mace. The cost is estimated at $65 million to $75 million.
    Engineers tried to avoid losing Sill's,
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he said. "There is no way we can miss it," he said.
    Sill's is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and so is Doug & Emmy's across Main Street. The latter is in the old Layton train station, which was moved to the spot and is now adjacent to the FrontRunner commuter rail platform. A final decision about the restaurant's fate has not been made, Mace said.
    One property owner is eager for the new interchange. "The time has come," said Doug Durbano, who with two partners has been assembling sizable acreage, including the Fort Lane Shopping Center, and hope to redevelop it soon.
    Without better access to I-15, he said, "It's not economically viable."
    kmoulton@sltrib.com