MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE — Construction is now complete on the 180,000-square-foot warehouse at the northeast corner of 400 North and Interstate 15 after eight months. Michael Batt, part owner of Salt Lake City-based developer Gardner Batt, said the building has been turned over to Amazon after receiving a certificate of occupancy.

Amazon signed a contract with Gardner Batt to lease the warehouse, which the retail giant will use as a distribution center servicing the Weber County area.

Natalie Wolfrom, Amazon spokesperson, said the company does not have any additional details to share with the public just yet as they are still working to complete the project.

According to Paul Phalen with Okland Construction, general contractor for Gardner Batt, Amazon is inspecting the warehouse to install information technology, or IT, equipment.

Approximately 500 jobs are expected to come from the distribution center. In the midst of a declining labor force and a nation-leading economy in Utah with a 3.7% job growth from 2019 to 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is unknown how Amazon hopes to fill positions.

Over 1,600 vehicles are estimated to be entering and exiting the facility daily, according to a traffic study conducted by Hales Engineering out of Lehi.

The Utah Department of Transportation will consider the study, ordered by Gardner Batt, as an additional data point as they continue to monitor the development and any possible impacts on traffic flow.

UDOT Senior Communication Manager Mitch Shaw said they are expecting an increase of traffic on State Route 126/2000 West at the I-15 interchange and 400 North, eventually.

As of right now, however, the agency does not have any specific plans for improvements to the area. Pioneer Road/400 North, the main point of access to the warehouse, is a city road and outside UDOT’s jurisdiction.

Marriott-Slaterville City Attorney Bill Morris said traffic is already an issue at the intersection of I-15 and Pioneer Road/400 North and, along with recommendations provided by Hales Engineering, a major reconfiguration of the I-15 and 400 North intersection is needed to accommodate increased traffic from the Amazon warehouse.

In a previous statement to the media, Amazon reps said they hoped to start operating out of the new building by early 2022. Wolfrom did not provide an approximate date for opening the facility.

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