EXHIBITS
(In) The Road of Progress: The West Side and I-15: Are We There Yet?
Are We There Yet?
Are We There Yet? Transportation Designs and Human Needs
Between 2010 and 2020, Utah was the fastest growing state in the nation with a population increase of 18.4 percent.[1] Such rapid growth requires local infrastructure to grow alongside the population, but with limited options, what does that growth look like?
Throughout this story growth has come at a cost for west side residents and their community. As UDOT considers expanding the freeway, many wonder—as they did in the decade before construction—what other options are there? For their part, UDOT completed a lengthy Environmental Impact Study process, which included community forums and public comment opportunities. West side residents have taken advantage of this study to voice their concerns about the loss of their homes and businesses as well as the continued divisions within the city.[2][3]
Public Response and Deepening Concerns
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has publicly opposed the expansion during the Alternatives phase but has admitted that it is likely to go forward regardless of public sentiment.
“I can’t support the consumption of neighborhoods for the sake of a few minutes of improved commuting...I think it’s naive to believe that they would simply not do the expansion. It’s a matter of how they do it.”
- Mendenhall, November 2022 [4]
West side residents, meanwhile, have continued to voice fears surrounding the loss of their homes and worsening of air quality.
“We’ve already been marginalized as a community with all three freeways within our area. Now they want to expand and take away additional homes and businesses? That’s completely unfair.”
- Nigel Swaby, Chair of the Fairpark Council, December 2022 [5]
Further concerns have been driven by the economic status of many west siders, who, if they lose their homes, may not be able to remain in their neighborhoods, or worse yet, their city.
"A lot of the homes developed along the freeway were developed for low-income folks, so especially to remove those homes for people who are already struggling is a slap in the face."
- Daniel Strong, President of the West Side Coalition, December 2022 [6]
What most public responses share is a fear that UDOT has placed a higher priority on the needs of automobiles than the needs of residents. Their objections are on health, economic, or personal grounds, west siders are critical of UDOT's vision for Utah's transportation future.
UDOT has responded to these concerns in their "Alternatives Development and Screening Report I-15 Environmental Impact Statement Farmington to Salt Lake City," released in May of 2023, accessible for public viewing.
Public Comments from the I-15 Environmental Impact Statement Alternatives Phase
“I'm a SLC resident who lives on the west side and I am strongly opposed to the widening of I-15. Expanding public transit options is the only way to truly affect traffic as communities grow, without falling into the trap of induced demand. I know you've said that transit is part of the overall plan, but it's vastly underutilized and needs to be the primary way forward, not an afterthought. Expanding the I-15 in this way will disproportionally affect west side communities, that will bear the brunt of lowered air quality, pollution from air/noise/and light, reduced quality of life, and reduced safety from increased traffic accidents. This is a misstep.” - Kellie Henderson, November 2022
“Please don’t expand I-15. It won’t help. Traffic will stay just as bad. We are already experiencing a climate crisis, why make it worse? The construction will make traffic so much worse. You’ll destroy homes and neighborhoods. It would truly be evil. Don’t do it just because our politicians are buddies with construction company owners.” – James Chilton, November 2022
“In the 1950s my grandparents house was bulldozed to build 1-15. They had bought their first home on 13th south and had started a family. This led to a disastrous move to Seattle which destabilized the family for decades. And currently, I work in for a civic organization in the Glendale community who still feels the scars from the current freeway construction. The air quality, noise, and traffic impact that the current freeway has on the Glendale community cannot be overstated. Expanding the freeway to add more lanes will impact the west side of Salt Lake negatively and I am worried that it is just more proof that the state does not care about the west side of Salt Lake.” – Brooke Young, December 2022
“I am a resident on the western side of Salt Lake City, and I would like to voice my concerns of expanding I-15 at all, but especially in my area: This project affects more residents on the west side of SLC, which is due for some infrastructure improvements. Pushing the highway/entry farther west not only forces some to move from their homes, but also cuts deeper into western neighborhoods that have been promised improvements from city officials for years. I-15 is already loud enough in my neighborhood, and I think my neighbors and I would like for it to stay where it is.” – Paul Torrisi, January 2023
“I am writing to express my deep and sincere opposition to the proposed widening of I-15. As a lifetime resident of Utah, and a homeowner on Salt Lake City’s west side, I am immensely concerned at the damage that this project would do to my city and neighborhood, without any meaningful long-term benefits. This tremendously costly project would only induce demand, utterly defeating its own purpose. If we want to make the Wasatch Front easily navigable by a large number – and wide variety of types – of commuters, then we need to expand public transportation options, not continue to widen an already pointlessly wide highway. Please consider the impacts that this will have on the lives of the people who live near I-15. We need transit options, not to have our homes destroyed in the name of fruitless “progress.” – Dallin Witt, January 2023 [7]
The Modern West Side
Today the west side continues to face the consequences of its complicated history. The legacy of those who found a home in the city's industrial heart reflects the many cultures and opportunities found in this place since early settlement. It remains a transportation nucleus for Salt Lake City and the state as a whole.[8]
"The west side has always been a place where different people and groups have interacted with one another in various ways…The neighborhood has for over a hundred and fifty years been populated by “strangers” who chose the location to further their economic prospects. Historically, the majority of its residents occupied the bottom rung of the economic ladder, but each one contributed in some way to Salt Lake City’s social, economic, and religious culture."
– Brad Westwood [9]
While the west side interstate story reflects the community’s resiliency and ability to adapt to change, it prompts searching questions. What are the costs of growth? How can we balance growth with a need to preserve people, their homes, and communities? What can we learn from the stories embedded in the current network of concrete and asphalt? Can we slow down long enough to listen and learn?
Endnotes:
[1] Matt Canham and Tony Semerad, “New census numbers are staggering. We know Utah is growing. See by how much and where,” The Salt Lake Tribune, August 12, 2021, https://www.sltrib.com/news/2021/08/12/new-census-numbers-are.
[2] Jim Spiewak, “Residents in path of I-15 expansion proposal speak out at community requested hearing,” KUTV, December 6, 2022, https://kutv.com/news/utahs-growing-pains/residents-concerned-about-losing-home-as-part-of-udot-i-15-expansion-utah-department-of-transportation.
[3] Sofia Jeremias and Alixel Cabrera, “West-siders are pushing back against I-15 expansion plans,” The Salt Lake Tribune, November 23, 2022, https://www.sltrib.com/news/2022/11/23/could-bubbling-neighborhood/.
[4] Jeremias and Cabrera, “West-siders are pushing back against I-15 expansion plans.”
[5] Hugo, Rikard-Bell, “West Side community voices concerns over I-15 expansion,” KSL News, December 9, 2022, https://kslnewsradio.com/1980377/west-side-community-voices-concerns-over-i-15-expansion/.
[6] Darienne DeBrule, “Public comment window for Salt Lake-Farmington I-15 expansion plan extended to Jan. 13,” Fox 13 Salt Lake City, December 5, 2022, https://www.fox13now.com/traffic/public-comment-window-for-salt-lake-farmington-i-15-expansion-plan-extended-to-jan-13.
[7] Utah Department of Transportation, Draft Alternatives Comments I-15 Environmental Impact Statement Farmington to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah, January 2023, 7, 26, 50, 80, 186.
[8] Brad Westwood, “Current Challenges and Developments in a Post-industrial Neighborhood: Part One,” Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, accessed June 1, 2023, https://community.utah.gov/current-challenges-and-developments-in-a-post-industrial-neighborhood-part-one/
[9] Brad Westwood, “Current Challenges and Developments in a Post-industrial Neighborhood: Part Two,” Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, accessed June 1, 2023, https://community.utah.gov/current-challenges-and-developments-in-a-post-industrial-neighborhood-part-two/