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UDOT announced its preferred route for the Heber Valley bypass Wednesday, Jan. 7, a major step forward for a project that’s been deliberated for over two decades.
Alternative B will construct a highway west of Heber City starting at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Potter Lane. From there, vehicles will cross the North Fields and reconnect with U.S. 40 and U.S. 189 south of downtown.
Project manager Craig Hancock said UDOT’s main reason for choosing Alternative B is that it will provide faster travel times for Wasatch County drivers. It is also meant to help Heber City meet its goals of creating a more pedestrian-friendly, local-focused downtown.
“It does the best job at improving the regional mobility and local mobility,” he said. “It’ll do the best job of diverting traffic off of Main Street.”
Currently, it takes about 11 minutes to drive from the River Road intersection to U.S. 189 near Charleston. By 2050, that travel time would more than double without a bypass, according to numbers in the draft environmental impact statement (EIS).
UDOT estimates traveling from River Road to Charleston via Alternative B will take about six minutes, a little over a minute faster than Alternative A, which would have kept traffic on U.S. 40 longer.
Hancock said many factors went into the decision, including traffic studies, growth projections and environmental impacts, especially in the North Fields.
“We’ve heard the concerns, and we definitely want to make sure that we’re doing our part to help preserve the North Fields,” he said.
He said UDOT is committed to ensuring the bypass remains “limited access.” That means once it’s built, no additional on- or off-ramps will be added to the highway.
“We think that will go a long way in helping to discourage continued urban sprawl and help control development in the area,” he said.
Drivers will be able to access the future highway at several points along the route, including at Potter Lane, state Route 113, and south of the “Y” intersection of U.S. 40 and U.S. 189.
Access will be free flow, meaning UDOT will construct ramps and overpasses rather than installing traffic lights.
Besides restricting future additions to the highway, UDOT said it will try to ensure the remaining wetlands are preserved forever as open space. Hancock said typically, UDOT must protect two acres for every acre affected by construction.
The North Fields route will affect more acres of farmland and wetlands. On the other hand, UDOT says fewer homes and businesses lie in the highway path than the U.S. 40 alternative.
Wendy Fisher leads Utah Open Lands, a land conservation nonprofit.
“Utah Open Lands had hoped for a different outcome, so it’s disappointing,” she said. “It doesn’t change our resolve to continue to work on land protection in the North Fields.”
She told KPCW she’s not sure UDOT can justify the environmental impact, given only slightly faster travel times on Alternative B compared to Alternative A.
“Having looked at the previous studies between the two alternatives, I think that you’re talking about basically saving a minute, but you are kind of doubling the impact on the wetlands,” she said. “So, I think it remains to be seen how this gets made right at the end of the day.”
Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said UDOT’s choice was expected. He was, however, surprised to see the price tag for the project soar.
“The recommended option, I believe, is three quarters of a billion dollars, which is a really big project,” he said. “This is going to be a monumental undertaking for a state agency, and one that I think is going to be difficult to meet and have completed by the 2034 Winter Olympics.”
In March 2025, UDOT estimated Alternative B would cost $584 million. About nine months later, the draft EIS projects the highway will cost over $760 million.
In addition to the highway, the project includes other new infrastructure. Frontage roads for local traffic will be added to north U.S. 40, as will paved trails for bikers and pedestrians.
With the draft EIS published, locals now have 60 days to share feedback with UDOT. Copies of the EIS are also available for anyone to read at the Heber City and Wasatch County government buildings, UDOT offices and the Wasatch County Library.
For details about how to comment, see UDOT's participation guide.
Utah Open Lands is a financial supporter of KPCW.
