VALLEY VISIONING Transportation Committee Moving hundreds of thousands of people throughout Utah Valley, while options are limited by a large lake and surrounding mountains, is a massive undertaking. With forecasts predicting the addition of several hundred thousand more residents within a few short decades, planning ahead becomes critical. The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation Committee is doing just that — identifying priorities, then determining how those priorities can be addressed and moved forward. “The overall Transportation Committee’s goal is to make sure we have roads that are moving and we are able to move goods and services through the valley in an effective way,” said Jeremy Hafen, chair of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation Committee and president of Clyde Companies Inc. “We want to stay in front of the transportation needs of the valley and promote whatever vehicles or avenues we need to in order to accomplish that.” Since its formation about a year ago, the committee has been bringing together stakeholders including state legislators, city leaders and business owners to discuss the valley’s future transportation needs. These meetings have included representation from Mountainland Association of Governments, the regional transportation planning group for urban Utah County. “MAG is a key player for this committee because they’re the ones that help determine how the dollars should be spent,” Hafen said. The committee has already seen some success as it was able to convince legislators to allocate funds to several Utah Valley transportation projects including a new Interstate 15 interchange at the southern Springville border, the Vineyard Connector road and the expansion of 1600 North in Orem. Overall, the funds have helped expedite projects that were years away from construction. “We want to stay in front of the transportation needs of the valley and promote whatever vehicles or avenues we need to in order to meet
24 • Utah Valley Chamber • www.thechamber.org
“The Utah Valley Chamber is bringing together business leaders and public entities to provide coordinated transportation vision for the entire valley. We are a voice of collaboration and reason in solving the complex infrastructure needs that growth brings to Utah Valley.” - Jeremy Hafen Transportation Committee Chair and President of Clyde Companies Inc.
