UDOT names Alternative B preferred for Heber Valley Corridor EIS; warns of wetland trade‑offs

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) said it has identified Alternative B as the preferred build option in the draft Heber Valley Corridor Environmental Impact Statement, concluding that the route would deliver better regional mobility and reduce traffic pressures on downtown Heber while posing larger impacts to wetlands and farmland.

“UDOT has identified Alternative B as the preferred alternative,” project manager Craig Hancock said, explaining the decision rests on transportation performance and community objectives. UDOT’s technical team presented modeling that shows Alternative B provides roughly 15% faster travel times on the new corridor and removes more regional and truck traffic from Main Street.

The presenters gave specific comparisons: travel from SR‑32 to US‑189 is projected at about 7 minutes 25 seconds under Alternative A versus about 6 minutes 15 seconds under Alternative B, and similar route‑level improvements were shown elsewhere. Those operational benefits, the team said, translate into fewer…