the low-down on the bypass

by lynn williams

Amateur photo from Shangrila Heights Mailboxes by anonymous photographer

I sat down with Mayor Justin Sip recently to ask questions concerning our new bypass road.  I have heard many rumors which have been circulating on this subject.  I hope this short article clears up some of the questions.

completion and location

The road is scheduled to be done and drivable next spring, most likely in April.  You might be interested to know that the original completion date was December of 2022.

People have questioned the location of the new road for that part of the road that is visible from town.  The city had the option to have the road on the other side of the hill away from the town. As a councilman at that time, Mayor Sip strongly supported the road on the other side, out of sight and with a lot less noise for the city. However, the majority of the council at that time held the opposite view. They voted to have the parkway where people driving by could see “our cute little town.” Readers can draw their own conclusions on the intelligence of that decision.

engineering

The Mayor states that all of the problems with the road stem from bad engineering.  The developers of Firelight had the engineering done and they paid for it, then gave the engineering to Toquerville.  The city has very little to no legal recourse because the city did not pay to have the engineering work done. There are several major problems of which the cut is the most obvious.

Who pays?

The state has agreed to pay approximately thirty four million dollars and Firelight has agreed to pay six million dollars for the road.  At first it appeared that the city would have a surplus of about five million but that has evaporated with the extras that now have to be considered.  Not only has any surplus disappeared but we will be several hundred thousand short of completing the project. Firelight has agreed to pay for any and all extra costs.

Property transfers

There has been talk of Toquerville not having ownership of all the property that is necessary for the road to be the four-lane road that the state will eventually require.  The Mayor said that this is true but he also said that he does not anticipate any problems acquiring that land.  He said that he does not have any hold-outs on the property transfers.

Hope to see you on the new road in April.  Drive safe and watch for falling rocks.