Midway Council endorses letter urging UDOT to realign Route B to protect North Fields aquifer

Midway City Council voted unanimously March 6 to endorse a letter drafted by Wasatch County that asks the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to realign the proposed Route B for the Heber Valley Corridor to reduce impacts to the North Fields aquifer, farmland and community open space.

Wasatch County Council Member Erik Rowland presented the draft, saying the document was intended as “fact-based comments” to influence UDOT’s decision and that it was not meant to be adversarial. “I did not want to be adversarial. I did not want to shut down the project. I wanted to provide feedback,” Rowland said, according to the meeting record. He said the county removed a map from the draft to avoid implying the alignment had been fully studied and asked local leaders to speak with a unified voice to increase their leverage with UDOT.

The letter asks UDOT to consider a realigned version of Route B that would run near U.S. 40 but not parallel it, and to minimize impacts on groundwater, working lands and conservation easements. Rowland told the council that UDOT would be required to respond to submitted comments and that some changes historically happen through the courts; he also said UDOT would need to work with the North Fields Irrigation Company on easements if the corridor proceeds.

Council Member JC Simonsen moved that Midway support the letter as presented and have each council member sign it; Council Member Andy Garland seconded. The motion passed with recorded Aye votes by Council Members Andy Garland, Lisa Orme, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Payne and JC Simonsen.

Public commenters urged caution and regional coordination. Courtland Nelson, chair of Midway’s Open Space Advisory Committee, recommended partnering with Heber City and said east–west alternatives should be considered. Linda Middleton of The Friends of Heber Valley, who said she lives near Southfields Road, asked whether a wildlife bridge would be needed and expressed concern about potential effects on the aquifer; she also offered pre-stamped envelopes to help members of the public submit comments to UDOT. Another commenter, Tracy Taylor, noted UDOT hoped to issue a final environmental impact statement by the summer of 2026 and said existing UDOT-funded projects unrelated to the corridor were already underway.

The council’s endorsement directs Midway’s elected officials to sign and submit the letter; the meeting record says the letter was to be signed and submitted the following Monday. The council did not take any legal action; Rowland and others emphasized that the letter itself carries advisory weight and that UDOT must respond to public comments as part of the environmental review.

Next steps recorded at the meeting: Midway and other local governments may submit coordinated comments to UDOT during the open comment period; UDOT is expected to complete its environmental impact statement by the summer of 2026, according to a commenter cited at the meeting. The council adjourned at 1:08 p.m.