America First project roundabout opens Monday; Trader Joe's, Panera and Mission updates announced

Tim Snyder of America First Credit Union updated the Riverdale City Council Tuesday on construction milestones at the West Bench campus, saying a newly paved roundabout would open to internal traffic on Monday and that remaining work on a second leg of the roundabout will take about four to six weeks.

Snyder said the timing was arranged to align with a planned Utah Department of Transportation closure under I‑84; the campus will reroute public access and use an internal road from Riverdale Road while UDOT completes bridge work. "We plan on opening the roundabout Monday morning," Snyder said, adding that one leg of the roundabout that leads into the campus will be finished when the temporary road can be removed.

Snyder reported progress on the parking garage and five‑story office building: pile driving for the garage is complete, footing and foundation pours are underway, elevator and stair lobby walls have been poured and structural steel work had begun. He described retaining‑wall progress on the hillside terraces and said landscaping plans will soften the finished wall. Snyder also reported completed concrete pours for new water vaults next to the roundabout, done in coordination with Weber Basin and the city; he said crews are now installing interior components for those vaults.

Community Development staff and City Administrator Brooks also updated the council on nearby private projects. Panera Bread and Mission Barbecue recently opened; city staff described Mission Barbecue’s opening as particularly well attended and noted the restaurant pauses service each day at noon to play the national anthem as part of its business practice. Trader Joe’s, according to staff, has completed a four‑way inspection and begun shipping equipment; Brooks said the store appears likely to open before Christmas, though no firm date was provided.

Brooks and Community Development noted other local developments: demolition and parking lot work at Ken Garf’s Honda, and property work at the former Speedway/Monaco site where a canopy and underground fuel tanks are being removed as part of a real‑estate transaction; staff said no formal development application had been submitted for that site.

Snyder and staff said the roundabout opening will limit through‑traffic past the campus for approximately six weeks while UDOT's closure is in effect, and that campus signage and UDOT traffic signage will be coordinated to minimize driver confusion. City staff encouraged residents to follow posted detours while bridge and road work proceeds.