Roughly 24 hours before it was set to open to the public, members of the media, elected officials — including Utah Senate President Stuart Adams — and other transportation officials were given a tour of the length of the West Davis Highway (state Route 177) from Syracuse to its junction with Interstate 15. The highway, which began construction in 2021, is opening up six months earlier than originally planned.

Carlos Braceras, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation, said the concept of a freeway system through western Davis County is older than most people think.

“This has been talked about since 1962,” he said. “I met President Adams 30 years ago and we were talking about this project, and here we are today. (Saturday) we’re going to be opening up this new 16-mile section and connecting Northern Utah in a way we haven’t been able to before. It really is a milestone event for the state of Utah and transportation in Northern Utah.”

Stuart, a Layton Republican, said the new route is going to be a huge step up for the people living along the West Davis Corridor.

“They’re going to be able to get home for their soccer games, to take their kids to their baseball games,” he said. “They’re going to be able to get to work on time. The quality-of-life — that’s why we build these type of projects. This has been thought about for years and years and years. The need has been there.”

There are six new interchanges along the 16-mile stretch of highway in Farmington, Kaysville, Layton and Syracuse. UDOT estimates a 30% drop in delays on local roads west of I-15. The project also reportedly preserved 1,100 acres of wetlands along the Great Salt Lake.

Braceras said the section people will drive on starting this weekend isn’t the end of the project.

“We’re thinking to the future because we’re going to continue to grow,” he said. “We’re already starting work on the environmental document to consider extending this road farther north to 1800 North in West Point.”

Longer-term plans call for even further extension of the highway through Weber County where it will connect back into I-15. However, these plans have no environmental process or funding beyond the extension into West Point.

Braceras said there’s far more to the highway than the highway itself.

“This road here is a road, but it’s also much more than that — it’s a transportation system,” he said. “We built 10 miles of trail system associated with this and we also built an equestrian trail, so when we say multimodal, we’re helping the equestrians, the walkers, the bikers and of course those who choose to drive.”

The trails along the West Davis Highway connect the Emigration and Legacy Parkway trail systems.

Rob Wight, UDOT’s Region 1 director, said there is still some work to be done in the coming months as drivers start traversing the 16-mile stretch.

“There’s going to be work going on, mostly on the sides,” he said. “The lanes are going to be open. … In the spring, for example, we’ll be doing seeding, landscaping and some of the final touches.”

An opening celebration is set for 10 a.m. Saturday on the 950 North bridge over the highway in Farmington. This will include a fun run/walk/bike over a 2-mile stretch of the road, refreshments, speeches and the opening of the highway to vehicle traffic at 11:30 a.m.