LAYTON -- A final plan for the West Davis Corridor is still years away, but if the road does get built, what would it cost?
Preliminary cost estimates from the Utah Department of Transportation show the road will likely cost around $450 million.
Using a number of factors, UDOT, with the help of HDR Engineering Inc., prepared a cost-estimate analysis for its 14 final alternatives for the project.
The analysis includes estimates for residential, agricultural and business acquisitions, as well as land use and engineering costs.
The cost estimates are based on other similar and recent roadway construction projects in Utah, although every possible cost of the project is not included.
According to the cost analysis, UDOT's alternative A, which is the farthest west of the three remaining alternatives, would cost $446.7 million.
Alternative B, which essentially mirrors route A until about 5500 South in Hooper, would cost $455.2 million.
Alternative C, which would require the largest number of residential acquisitions, would cost $472.4 million.
West Davis Corridor Project Manager Randy Jeffries said the estimates are an early look at what the road could cost, but UDOT used the numbers to determine whether any alternative needed to be thrown out because it would be too expensive to build.
"These numbers are very preliminary," Jeffries said. "We primarily did them for comparison purposes, so we could get some ballpark ideas and determine if any of the alternatives would have to be eliminated based on cost."
In the end, none of the 14 alternatives was eliminated based purely on cost, Jeffries said.
He said more detailed cost estimates will be developed for the alternatives in the environmental impact statement and will be based on preliminary engineering.
A final record of decision on the project is expected by spring 2013.
Funding for the corridor project at this time is still uncertain, and before the road can be built, UDOT has to finish environmental assessments and obtain approval from the Federal Highway Administration.
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