Broadening Richmond's horizons will slow down your summer travel on US 91

Not for the destination, mind you. You might want something to nibble on during those mammoth delays you'll be sitting through if traveling on weekdays between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

That's right. With spring of 2005 comes the commencement of "Phase 2" of the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)'s widening of U.S. Highway 91. "Phase 1," which ended last fall when the weather became too wet to lay concrete, included the completion of the northern half of the project, which lies between Richmond and the Idaho line. With that now out of the way, it's time for UDOT to finish what it started.

According to UDOT Region 1 Public Involvement Coordinator Andy Neff, this project, which has been in the planning for a number of years now at the cost of nearly $30 million, is designed to "meet safety and capacity needs in the roadway corridor (U.S. 91)."

It's widely known that the traffic along this stretch of highway has been not only treacherous, but has also outgrown the two-lane facility that previously existed. According to Neff, current average daily traffic is roughly 12,400 vehicles per day. That number has steadily grown year after year and is projected to reach 19,800 by 2023.

Furthermore, among Neff's concerns has been the inability of motorists to safely pass other drivers, especially on the section of road known as Mendenhall's Curve. The new and improved version of Highway 91 will feature four lanes with a center turn lane and will, according to Neff, "improve progression."

The main thrust of this summer's work will consist of considerable excavation and the realignment of curves. Basically, Mendenhall's curve will be slightly straightened out and lowered by up to 8 feet. Also undergoing significant elevation change will be the intersection of Main Street and 200 West (Highway 91) in Richmond, which will be lowered by as much as 4 feet. According to Neff, these elevation changes are designed to improve sight distance in the areas where accidents have been known to occur.

The historic train depot, which sits on the corner of Main Street and Highway 91, will not be affected by the drop in road elevation there. According to Neff, UDOT plans to enhance the grounds around the train depot by building a stained concrete retaining wall with a rock texture as well as assisting in the installation of a wrought iron fence.

UDOT has also assisted the city of Richmond in getting several other historic buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. They have coordinated with the Bear River Heritage Area to perform rehabilitation work to several barns in the area as well. UDOT also plans to put in decorative lighting along the highway within Richmond city limits, as well as new curb, sidewalk, and gutter construction in Richmond and Smithfield.

Although UDOT maintains that current traffic volumes don't warrant a stoplight in Richmond, UDOT will be installing an infrastructure for a future stoplight at the corner of Main St. and Highway 91.

According to Neff, the project has received "tremendous public support." However, a quick survey of roadside residents in Richmond and Smithfield told a rather different story.

For example, Richmond resident Kay Day has lived for the past 25 years in her home, which sits roughly 10 yards from the current highway. That home, which was built nearly 90 years ago, is protected from the noisy highway by two large trees, which were planted when the house was built. During last year's construction, a gas line had to be moved closer to her home to make way for the expanding road. The digging of the new line cut heavily into the roots of her trees. Day said she fears the trees will be hurt because of it.

"If these trees die, I'm living right on the highway," said Day, who also claims the construction company wasn't willing to compensate her for the potential loss of her trees.

Also negatively affected by the construction were Ron and Virginia Wanagel of Smithfield. The Wanagels, whose home had stood in its former location since 1936, bought the home in 1999 amid rumors that a widening was in the works. Shortly after moving into the house in 2003, they were told they would either have to tear it down or move it. So, they moved it. UDOT bought the house from them at $100,000 and then gave them the "preservation rights" to it. The move itself, plus the cost of bringing the house back up to code, which included $10,000 for re-wiring, cost the Wanagels a total of $175,000 of their own money. That's a net loss of $75,000, which the Wanagels paid to accommodate the road widening.

"UDOT didn't tell us we had to bring everything in the house up to code," said Ron, shaking his head. "That was the expensive part. Do I have a better house now? Yes. Would I do it again? No."

His wife, Virginia, was a little more optimistic, admitting that their view is much better now as a result of the move. Their daughter, Ann Marie, now lives in the house with her husband. Ron and Virginia share equal time between a home in California and their Smithfield home.

Although the headaches caused by the ongoing construction are felt by nearly all who live along the road, there did seem to be a consensus of good feeling concerning UDOT's handling of the situation.

An April 15th traffic advisory from UDOT suggested the use of State Route 23, which branches off of U.S. Highway 89/91 at the southern end of Wellsvile and continues on to the Idaho border, as an alternative summer route. However, according to UDOT Project Manager Brad Humphreys, State Route 23 will be undergoing some minor improvements this summer as well.

"That project was bid out at the same time," said Humphries in reference to the "cold-mix overlay" that will be taking place later this summer on the temporary bypass. According to Humphries, the overlay will be done using recycled pavement dug up from U.S. 91 and shipped across the valley to State Route 23, which is in need of repairs. According to UDOT, this method will save the state approximately $250,000.

This summer's other activities, which deal mainly with the southern half of the project and some minor testing operations yet to be done near the Idaho line, are slated to finish in mid-September. The amount of work to be done between now and then is relatively daunting, considering the time frame. As we learned last year, mother nature will have the final say whether or not that time frame will be big enough.

"We're dealing with clay, so the weather impacts the job tremendously," said Staker-Parson Construction Superintendent Rick Hansen in response to working conditions during what has been an exceptionally wet spring thus far. "Saturday work is a possibility," Hansen said, "It depends on how many rainy days we have."

When the weather dries out and construction picks up delays can be expected anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes. The speed limit between Smithfield and Richmond has been reduced from 55 to 45 mph during construction, with the speed limit inside Richmond city limits reduced to 35 mph.

The widening of U.S. Highway 91 will surely bring change to the city of Richmond, as well as northern Utah. Traffic may pick up, along with commerce. At least we know that speeds will, anyway. Perhaps Richmond will lose some of its quiet country charm with the expansion to a new 4-lane highway, but it's not like Richmond doesn't have a lot of charm to spare.

NW
JLC