1 50 1 https://highway89.org/files/original/e4cc18c408d866d65ef2c2d896546348.pdf a5538929e680eebbdf8a3dd88a8e17bd PDF Text Text Jul :i. <::\ (301 c:I 140 South 44th St. Apt.2A Philadelphia, PA 19104 r'1ar"ch 14 'J 1.987 Mr. Clifford Forsgren, Project Manager CH2M Hill! Salt Lake City Office P» 0 • B0 ~< 22 1 8 Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Before moving to Philadelphia last summer I lived in Logan for more than 6 years and have become very attached to the beauty and diverse recreational opportunities of Logan Canyon - a place of striking natural scenery only a five minute's drive away from my door step in Logan. As a planner and landscape architect I have become very concerned with the repeated efforts of the Utah Department of Transportation to widen portions of highway 89 which serves primarily recreation traffic to various destinations in the canyon and to Bear Lake. The enviromental impacts of road widening in a narrow canyon especially during the construction phase are tremendous, ranging from pollutants carried by increased runoff to complete rechanneling of the river severely altering flow patterns, stream velocity, the aquatic and the riparian life zones. However, I will not talk about the environmental effects here. I assume others who are more qualified will do so. Instead, I will talk about the scenic experience one has on Logan Canyon highway and how it will be affected by the proposed developments. Beautiful scenery can make driving an enjoyable experience. Especially when the road changes direction frequently allowing the driver to enjoy views from a number of different angles without having to take his eyes away fl'"om thE·? r-oc1.d. Speed of travel greatly influences what the driver can see. At high speeds only far away objects will be visible long enough to be noticed. A wide open valley is suited ver-y well for high speed tr-avel, because scenery at a distance of several miles~ such as mountain ranges~ will be visible long enough to make an impression on the driver. In a canyon the time allowed to enjoy a particular view greatly r-educed if travelling at the same high speeds. In the wider parts of Logan Canyon from Ricks Springs to Bear Lake summit a travel speed of 40-50 mph allows the driver to view a number of peaks and long valleys, such as Steam Mill Peak, Beaver Mtn. ~ Bunchgrass Canyon, and the Sinks. IS :I. �In the lower part of the canyon, from First Dam to Right Hand Fork? the road follows the river in wide arcs around dominant ridge lines that fade into light blues in the distance. Each ridge is the gate to a new segment of the canyon leaving the driver in constant anticipation of what lies ahead. The road in this part of the canyon has been widened in the past to allow for travel speeds up to 50 mph and it includes passing lanes. The general openess and width of the canyon can accomodate this speed as the driver still has sufficient time to enjoy the scenery. The canyon narrows down further after Right Hand Fork. Steep slopes on either side of the canyon reduce the field of vision substantially. Even at 25-30 mph one can only catch a glimpse of the splendid views, sometimes through the canopy of road side vegetation. It is this part of the canyon that offers the viewer the most dramatic limestone walls, wooded slopes, and the closest views of the river rapids through lush riparian vegetation. Most objects viewed are within 100 feet of the road. Passing by at speeds exceeding 30-35 mph would result in nothing more than a blurr and tunnel vision. It becomes evident that a widening of the road to allow for faster travel will only result in a diminished experience of the canyon's beauty. Logan Canyon highway need not become a high speed connection for travellers concerned only with how fast they can reach their point of destination. Interstate highways serve these needs far better. Tourists with tight schedules are better advised to use 1-15 and Rte 30 to travel to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Logan Canyon j c a scenic attraction in itself. Along with the valley it may be one of the most memorable experiences for travellers who enjoy being away from the fast paced systems of transportation. Do we want to sacrifice the scenic experience of Logan Canyon for those who want to beat the lift lines at Beaver Mountain Ski area or those who race their motor boats up the canyon on their way to Bear Lake? Granted, some of the proposed improvements such as bridge replacement, turnoff lanes, parking areas off the highway, and signs warning of bicyclists would greatly reduce some of the problems experienced in the past. I support only some of the proposed actions in Plan B spot improvements. Left turning lanes at Tony Grove Lake and Beaver Mountain will greatly reduce the inherent conflict of fast moving vehicles, and vehicles waiting to make a left turn. Many recreational vehicles move slower than the average traffic resulting in long lines and sometimes dangerous passing maneuvers. These problems could be 2 �improved by providing turnoff lanes and requiring slower vehicles to make use of them. I strongly oppose a passing lane in the dugway section, even though it is the only feasible stretch of road for a passing lane in that part of the canyon. The extensive blasting and resulting destabilization of the above lying steep slopes will cause ongoing erosion problems for the road as well as add sediments to the river below. I feel that an approach, where each segment of road is studied as a separate problem by weighing the benefits of improvement against the degree of environmental impact~ responds much better to the unique areas of Logan Canyon. I urge you to reconsider some of the Plan B spot improvements proposed for Logan Canyon highway, to assess the real values of the canyon and the interests of those who enjoy its recreational and scenic qualities most. � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Local URL The URL of the local directory containing all assets of the website <a href="http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/highway89/id/14">http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/highway89/id/14</a> Purchasing Information Describe or link to information about purchasing copies of this item. 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Title A name given to the resource Correspondence from Julia Gold to Clifford Forsgren concerning the proposed changes to Logan Canyon Description An account of the resource Correspondence from Julia Gold to Clifford Forsgren of CH2M HILL concerning the proposed changes to the Logan Canyon Highway 89. She discusses the scenic experience of driving Logan Canyon and briefly mentions the environmental effects. Also suggests studying each segment of road separately and urges reconsideration of spot improvements proposed for the highway. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gold, Julia Subject The topic of the resource Logan Canyon (Utah)--History Roadside Improvement--Utah--Logan Canyon Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Correspondence Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-03-14 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Logan Canyon (Utah) Utah United States Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1980-1989 20th century Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, Sierra Club, Utah Chapter Archives, 1972-1986, COLL MSS 148 Series VIII Box 27 Folder 1 Is Referenced By A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource. View the inventory for this collection at: <a href="http://uda-db.orbiscascade.org/findaid/ark:/80444/xv03390">http://uda-db.orbiscascade.org/findaid/ark:/80444/xv03390</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Libraries Photograph Curator, phone (435) 797-0890. Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Highway 89 Digital Collections Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MSS148VIIIB27_Fd1_Page_9.pdf Highway 89;