Letter to the editor: UDOT, Washington City, and St. George are guilty of ignorance and incredibly poor planning
When the Red Hills Parkway was established, the public was promised that no further development would occur north of Red Hills. The plan was to reserve land for the threatened desert tortoise.
Now, only a few years later, developers and politicians (under pressure from developers) are pressing for an amendment.
Their defense is that the road is needed to fight congestion. The government was aware of congestion concerns when Red Hills Parkway was created but dismissed them with assurances that Red Hills would be more than adequate.
Now we have new politicians, the same old developers, and the same problems. As an indicator that the developers planned many years ago for this new bypass, note that in the Ledges there are pillars designed for a new interchange already in place! Coincidence? Hardly.
UDOT, Washington City, and St. George are guilty of ignorance and incredibly poor planning for failure to foresee the growth and failure to take compensatory measures. Now we the public, who were promised a sacrosanct tortoise preserve, are placed on the altar to be sacrificed for “progress.” It is an old story repeated thousands of times. Before the federal government caves on this issue, the guilty parties should be required to prove that they have thoroughly investigated all possible alternatives beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, all interested parties, developers, and property owners should be named and made public.
Dr. Alvin R. Lundgren
Washington County
The viewpoints expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Independent.
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