Willard planning commission reviews draft master road plan, flags UDOT connection limits and future corridors

Willard City planning commissioners reviewed a draft master road plan on May 15 that incorporates technical notes from the Utah Department of Transportation and identifies future arterial corridors, potential signal locations on U.S. 89 and areas where UDOT prefers to limit new highway connections.

Staff said the map and notes came from the city's UDOT representative, who marked existing intersections and suggested which locations should be signalized and which connections should be removed or relocated. "After talking with him earlier this week about a subdivision in South Willow, they are trying to limit the number of connections to the highway," a staff member said. The staff member added that UDOT prefers east–west corridors to be straight through to reduce turning conflicts.

Commissioners discussed including potential future links, such as extending 300 East through areas where it does not now continue, so that future development does not preclude those alignments. "Someday it could," one commissioner said, endorsing a conservative approach of preserving future rights-of-way on the plan.

The commission agreed to publish the draft plan and solicit public comment, including sending the map to an existing South Willard mailing list. The staff member said that adding the draft to the city's website and inviting feedback would be a sufficient initial outreach; the plan will require a public hearing before incorporation into the general plan.

No formal adoption occurred; staff will circulate the draft to affected neighborhoods and prepare materials for the public-hearing process. Commissioners noted that some UDOT preferences may preclude additional homes fronting on U.S. 89 and could influence future zoning and access decisions.