River Heights • For nearly 40 years, Michael Jablonski and Cindy Johnson have worked to restore the land surrounding a large stretch of the Logan River that runs through their property.
Their land is more than just a home — it also houses the office of their environmental consulting firm, Natural Resources Consulting. More importantly, the couple said, it serves as a sanctuary for dozens of bird species, a resting ground for deer, and as a peaceful natural area surrounded by urban development.
Now, that rich habitat could be paved over.
The Utah Department of Transportation has proposed a new road and bridge over the river to ease traffic on Main Street — a project the couple said would fragment the river corridor and harm the ecosystem they have spent decades nurturing.
“I do not want the quiet enjoyment of my home,” Jablonski said in a lengthy letter detailing his concerns, “my office, and my land to end.”
The plan — one of seven proposals in UDOT’s effort to ease congestion in Cache County — calls for constructing a new road linking 100 East and 200 East. Some existing roads, including Riverwood Parkway, would be rerouted to integrate with the new roadway. Twelve historic homes have been identified in the project area and could potentially be removed.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Jablonski and Johnson’s concerns go beyond losing their office, where they have conducted wetland studies, stream assessments, rare plant research and written environmental reports on areas across the western U.S. since 1990. The project, they contend, would also destroy a vital bird nesting habitat, remove trees crucial to the health of the Logan River and eliminate open space in a rapidly developing city.
“We have observed the flora and fauna here, in all seasons, for 37 years,” Jablonski wrote. “We know it more intimately than anyone. We are not just casual observers on our land and its vicinity. We know what we are talking about.”
(Clarissa Casper | The Salt Lake Tribune) Michael Jablonski and Cindy Johnson's land, which surrounds the Logan River, is at risk of being paved due to a proposed UDOT project aimed at reducing traffic on Main Street in Cache County.
The couple spent years removing debris such as concrete, sheet metal, barbed wire and pipes from the riverbank, maintaining century-old trees, and planting many native shrubs and trees. A representative of UDOT, Jablonski said, has never come to their property to see this.
He believes the solution to the county’s traffic problem — which he doesn’t see as a pressing issue — is for officials to accept that fewer cars on the road is the only long-term fix for less congestion. Projects should stay on Main Street and out of neighborhoods, he said, and more money should be invested in public transportation rather than roads.
“How would you feel if your home of 35 or more years,” he said, “a place you put your heart and soul into over most of your life, were taken from you?”
(Clarissa Casper | The Salt Lake Tribune) An area surrounding the Logan River is at risk of being paved due to a proposed UDOT project aimed at reducing traffic on Main Street in Cache County.
The couple’s long-term goal is to leave their land along the river in a natural state, protected by a conservation easement.
“Open space like this,” Jablonski wrote, “in an urban area is rare and more valuable than any road.”
In response to these concerns, UDOT spokesperson Mitch Shaw said public feedback will be essential in the coming months and will be evaluated when making a final decision. The public comment period for this project ended Tuesday, one month after UDOT first held a public information meeting on its proposals.
“We have not yet decided if we will proceed with this project,” Shaw said. “Prior to moving forward with any of the proposed concepts, UDOT will conduct a full environmental study to consider options, evaluate potential environmental impacts, and solicit more public feedback.”
Johnson has used her expertise as an environmental consultant and biologist to evaluate alternative routes in a report she authored. She believes there are two routes that would significantly reduce the environmental and community impacts of the project while still addressing traffic concerns.
(Clarissa Casper | The Salt Lake Tribune) Trees on a property surrounding the Logan River at risk of being paved over due to a proposed UDOT project aimed at reducing traffic on Main Street in Cache County.
One alternative would extend 200 East south of 300 South, curving west along the north side of the Logan River before connecting to 100 East at 400 South. Another focuses on improving existing roads instead of building new ones by upgrading intersections and potentially widening a short section of 300 South.
“There are significantly less environmentally damaging alternatives to the UDOT proposed route,” Johnson said in a separate letter, “that may actually provide benefits related to transportation, recreation and public safety.”
