New Utah Freeways

[Kniwt]

I need to start keeping up with population statistics. That's incredible! Will any of this anticipated expansion grow that part of Arizona and reach Nevada eventually?

Only 5% of the land on the Arizona side of the Virgin River basin is privately owned, and 91.7% of the land is federally owned and managed by the Arizona Strip Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, so highly unlikely.

Source: http://www.azwater.gov/AzDWR/StatewidePlanning/WaterAtlas/WesternPlateau/Land/VirginRiver.htm (includes a map)

[Sub-Urbanite]

I joke with friends, but with a bit of seriousness, that in 20 years, UT 7 is going to be lined from end to end with Home Depots and Applebees.

Definitely everybody's vision of success

[Desert Man]

Today, I learned about a new freeway in construction in Washington County, Utah...I hadn't been through Saint George and anywhere in Utah since 1997 (almost 20 years). The area is among the US' fastest growing regions and I'm guessing the population is over 150,000 now...the 2010 census finds there were 138,115 residents.

[authenticroadgeek]

With this new St Geogre growth, they're gonna have to put a 3-di in that area. Maybe bring back the I-415 designation? Or give UT-7 a designation like I-115? I understand this isn't a Salt Lake scale city we're dealing with, but in fifty years when growth has multiplied exponentially we should put a 3-di road.

[Rover_0]

With this new St Geogre George growth, they're gonna have to put a 3-di in that area. Maybe bring back the I-415 designation? Or give UT-7 a designation like I-115? I understand this isn't a Salt Lake scale city we're dealing with, but in fifty years when growth has multiplied exponentially we should put a 3-di road.

I've thought of upgrading SR-7 into I-715 and making it a spur extending east, connecting to SR-59, and possibly to Hildale or along AZ-389 ending just east of Fredonia AZ (as part of a possible I-17 extension and Hurricane bypass). Or, since SR-9 between the future junction of SR-7 west to I-15 is set to eventually to at least become an expressway (maybe it becomes a freeway?), I-415 works just as fine, as it would loop back to I-15.

Utah has been pretty content to keep state route numbers on their newer freeways. The best candidate for upgrading IMO is SR-85 (the Mountain View Corridor) once complete (especially if an extension roughly along SR-68 to I-15 near Santaquin becomes a reality), and possibly SR-67 (Legacy Highway/West Davis Corridor).

However, UDOT would rather build and widen roads as traffic needs warrant instead of upgrading them to some seemingly arbitrary standard for a blue and red shield.