Around 50 Heber and Midway residents staged a protest parade — dubbed a tractorcade — Saturday, starting at Veterans Memorial Park near the Heber Valley Railroad.
Some brought tractors, side-by-sides or all-terrain vehicles, while others decked their cars or trucks in American flags and messages, including “Save the North Fields” and “Protect our water.” One group rode in a horse-pulled trailer, with a sign reading, “Support the American rancher.”
The parade followed a 6-mile route north past Southfield Park and into the North Fields, then returned along North Field Road. They were protesting the Utah Department of Transportation’s preferred Heber Valley bypass route, which would pass through the Wasatch County North Fields.
Laren Gertsch is a North Fields rancher whose Swiss ancestors settled in the Midway area. He said UDOT’s preferred route, called Alternative B, would ruin the community’s charm.
“Almost everybody who comes into this valley comes down off Jordanelle, and they see the greenery, they see it's open. It's a peaceful feeling that comes here,” Gertsch said. “So, everybody's interested in the open space. They're not interested in houses.”
Gertsch had been working with Utah Open Lands to conserve around 200 acres of his North Fields property as open space. But after UDOT announced Alternative B as its preferred bypass route, federal funding to conserve the land was rescinded.
He said the bypass would also destroy agriculture in the North Fields and impact water quality.
“We still flood irrigate in the North Fields. It allows … wells in Daniels and Heber City, Charleston, other places to regenerate,” he said. “If they put a road through the middle of the valley, it will act like a dam.”
Gertsch said UDOT plans to implement a siphoning system so the road doesn’t stop water flow, but the system requires lots of maintenance and isn’t proven to work.
Midway resident and North Field Irrigation Company President Mark Wilson agreed the bypass would impact water quality. He said flood irrigation is the only way to support the area’s underground water table, and the bypass prevents that.
He said the route would also put farmers out of business.
“There's a place where they can redo the alternative, and redo the route, where it doesn't cover any wetlands and it won't affect the irrigation company,” Wilson said. “It's better for everybody concerned. It'll make it a lot cheaper.”
Heber City Councilmember Yvonne Barney also attended the protest. She was concerned the bypass would come with more development, which is what happened in Logan and Lehi.
Barney is also concerned about maintaining the beauty of the Heber Valley.
“It's funny how when we hear authorities or anybody coming in, leadership coming in from the state, the first thing they say is how beautiful our community is,” he said. “Yeah, well, we like to keep it that way. This is the first way we start.”
UDOT leaders said the main reason for choosing Alternative B is that it will provide faster travel times. Residents can share feedback on UDOT’s preferred alternative until March 9.
For details about the alternatives and information about how to submit a public comment, visit UDOT's project website.
