The new 16-mile highway will feature four lanes on each side and six new interchanges for it to connect with I-15 and local roads. 

“In the last 10 years, Utah has grown faster than any other state in the nation, and we are working hard every day to ensure our transportation system meets our needs now, and in the future,” Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) executive director Carlos Braceras said. 

Utah HouseSpeaker Brad Wilson and Senate President Stuart Adams joined UDOT officials for a celebration of the start of construction, a UDOT press release says.

Work on the project is expected to wrap up in 2024. According to an article published by the Salt Lake Tribune in 2017, the project is projected to cost $725 million.

According to the press release, “A future phase is planned to extend the highway to 1800 North in West Point. Long-term transportation plans show the West Davis Highway will eventually extend through Weber County and connecting back to I-15. However, no funding or environmental process is currently planned for the extension beyond West Point.”

The 2017 article in the Salt Lake Tribune notes that UDOT estimated that the new highway will displace between 25 and 34 homes as well as between four and nine businesses. The highway was also “expected to directly impact 64 acres of the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve, only 14 of which are considered high quality.”

However, some of the benefits of the highway may offset those negative impacts.

The project also includes a component which will add 10 miles of trail and connections to several existing trails. Additionally, 1,100 acres of wetlands near the Great Salt Lake will also be preserved in the project. In terms of the human impact, UDOT says the “number of homes in Davis and Weber counties is expected to increase by 65 percent by 2040.” Those new residents will surely benefit from the new infrastructure.