More than 250 Lehi residents have signed a petition opposing a proposed I-15 on/off ramp that would land at 2700 North, directly adjacent to the Holbrook Farms neighborhood in northwest Lehi.
The ramp is one of two options Lehi city engineers presented during a July 13 City Council work session as part of an update to the city's Transportation Master Plan. Option 1 would place the ramp on the north side of Camp Williams. Option 2 would put it at 2700 North, next to Holbrook Farms, a residential neighborhood north of Primary Children's Medical Center between the Jordan River and Redwood Road.
City engineers said in a written statement that Option 1 "is not supported by Camp Williams" and "faces significant jurisdictional challenges." Council member James Harrison said Camp Williams prefers the 2700 North alignment because the military installation is relocating its entrance there.
A third concept, a freeway-to-freeway connection from I-15 to the Mountain View Corridor, carries a UDOT price tag above $3 billion, according to the Lehi Free Press, making it effectively off the table.
Residents say the neighborhood wasn't built for this
Jeremy Baker, a five-year Holbrook Farms resident, said the neighborhood has no east or north road connections, keeping traffic light enough for children to walk and bike freely.
"The stronger the response is, and how early we make our responses known, the more likely that things won't go in that direction," Baker said.
Baker pointed to the Clubhouse Drive extension, a road connection removed from Lehi's plans after significant resident pushback, as a precedent he hopes to repeat.
Doris Hinton, another Holbrook Farms resident, said kids use neighborhood roads to get to school and would not be safe walking if traffic increases. Neighbors have flooded council members with emails and phone calls since the July 13 presentation.
Council: no vote is scheduled
No vote is scheduled.
Council member Heather Newall said no upcoming council meeting will decide between the two options. She described the concepts as "examples of some possibilities around Camp Williams," not a final list or choices.
Council member Emily Lockhart said traffic issues on the northwest side of Lehi have been studied for more than a decade and that once a transportation plan is approved, development reacts to it.
Harrison said engineers' data shows most Lehi roads will fail to support traffic needs over the next two to three decades, even with projects like the Pioneer Crossing flex lanes and the $621 million 2100 North freeway-to-freeway connection that UDOT broke ground on in March. Population growth in Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs is a key driver: residents of those cities must travel through Lehi to reach I-15. Harrison said the city is "looking at 10 to 20 years down the road," not making an immediate decision.
The Lehi City engineering department said in a written statement that resident feedback has been documented and will be included in ongoing traffic modeling and evaluation. The City Council, not engineers, will vote on any final changes to the plan.
No timeline has been announced for when the Transportation Master Plan update will be finalized. Residents can contact Lehi City Council members directly or sign the Change.org petition to register their position.
