Voice raised over sound wall

There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]

Owner says barrier will lessen visibility of his business

FARR WEST -- A sound wall that could block the profit-producing view from Interstate 15 of some businesses between 2700 North and 3100 North will continue as planned, a Utah Department of Transportation official said Tuesday.

Since most people along the west side of the contested stretch of I-15 want the sound wall to go up, construction will continue, said Brent DeYoung, a UDOT project manager.

Last week, business owners and the mayor of Farr West said they were not pleased with the sound wall, which is already under construction. They thought it would not go any farther north than 2700 North. Since then, DeYoung has met with the mayor and affected residents.

"We went over some of the documents that UDOT had provided the city in 2005," DeYoung said of his meeting with Farr West Mayor Jimmie Papageorge. "It was just a review of what our plans were. I think it helped."

A UDOT environmental impact study from 2004 shows the wall extending past 2700 North to 3100 North, and DeYoung said that was always the plan.

"We sat down and we ironed all that stuff out," said Papageorge. He added that he knows of only one business owner who is still angry about the wall.

DeYoung said he sympathizes with business owners who will lose visibility, but he has to respect the wishes of homeowners as well.

"The majority of people want the noise wall," DeYoung said. "About 75 percent were in favor of it when we first conducted the survey, and from what I can tell now, that's still the majority opinion."

Dick Gamble, owner of Intermountain Boat and Truck Sales, is not happy with the sound wall. He said he gets about 65 percent of his business from interstate traffic.

Last week, a man traveling from Logan saw his operation and pulled over. That customer, Gamble said, ended up spending $11,500.

If the sound wall continues, Gamble said, he will have to liquidate his inventory and put his business into hibernation until he can devise a new plan.

"I'm going to have to put the business on hold," he said. "I can't survive without the interstate."

Gamble said he will sue if he has to, but first he wants to talk with UDOT. He set up a meeting today with UDOT to discuss the possibility of compensation for the impending loss of business, but DeYoung said Gamble's chances of success are slim.

"Unfortunately, there is not any method to compensate businesses in these circumstances," DeYoung said. "We're just not able to do that."

Still, Gamble wants to see what his options are.

He said he would like to see if UDOT could help relocate his business a few blocks north, just beyond the noise wall.

"I'd like them to buy me some ground down the street here and put me up another shop," he said.

In the meantime, construction continues on the intersection between 2700 North and I-15. As of Wednesday, the southbound off-ramp and the northbound on-ramp will be closed for improvements, DeYoung said. The closures should last a couple of weeks, he said.

Gamble said he didn't mind improvements to the interstate and to the on- and off-ramps. He's only concerned with the sound wall.

"I can get along with it for a few weeks," he said, "but the sound wall is a permanent thing."

Comments

Add a comment...

Name:
Comment:
Security Code:	Type the characters to the left in the box exactly as they appear.
Your IP:	38.103.63.16 This address is recorded for security purposes.