Conserve Utah Valley Projects: Utah Lake

Utah Lake

Written by Teri Harman, Director of Public Outreach, May 2026

As Utah Valley residents, our CUV team understands how tough our traffic issues have become. We want to be helpful in the pursuit of solutions that also protect Utah Lake and a healthy environment for all life in our valley. 

The current (and many of the past) transportation plans created by The Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG) and its partners, include a bridge across Utah Lake, a causeway across the North Shore, and a freeway over Provo Bay. The 2027–2055 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is currently in development and open for public comment until June 3, 2026. 

We encourage Utah Valley residents to comment after reviewing the plan on the MAG website, exploring the plan MAP, and reading through the information from local experts below.  

Comments may be submitted HERE.

As we’ve consulted with transportation and lake experts, it’s clear that bridges and causeways will not alleviate congestion, but instead add to it. Putting cars over the lake will also negatively impact water quality, recreation, wildlife habitat, and our iconic lakescape views. 

Practically speaking, bridges and causeways come with hefty price tags. The bridge site most often proposed cuts across the lake from Pelican Point at the south end of Saratoga Springs to Provo Center Street between Utah Lake State Park and the Provo Airport, about an eight to ten mile stretch, depending on the route. For reference, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is 1.7 miles long and cost $35 million in the 1930s, or about $1.5 billion today. Although the design may not be similar to the Golden Gate Bridge, a Utah Lake bridge would cost billions. Money that could be redirected to efforts that reduce traffic congestion instead of shifting it over the water. 

Dr. Gregory Macfarlane, a transportation engineer and specialist at BYU, agrees that bridges will not solve traffic problems. He recommends that city and state leaders dedicate efforts to identifying what causes traffic and make plans to reduce car use. This includes municipalities bringing businesses and amenities to the community. Also, developing infill and high-density housing in close proximity to existing employers and services. Finally, providing more commute options, such as public transportation, safe active transportation (walking and biking), and remote work. These solutions also address many other connected issues, such as protecting our air quality and addressing housing needs.

Lakebed stability and water quality are also serious concerns. Erin Jones, an Environmental Analytical Lab Manager at BYU, communicated in an email to the Utah Lake Conservation Coalition that the lakebed is too unstable to support a large bridge. She wrote, “First, the pilings would have to be the maximum length, because there isn’t bedrock anywhere close to the surface. Second, because of the graben and Horst nature of the valley, the lake bed is sinking over time. [The sinking is fast enough] that the bridge would be too low to the water surface before the end of its life span, or it would have to be taller (and therefore more expensive).” 

Dr. Rachel Atkins, a hydrologist at Utah Valley University, shared that a bridge will increase inputs and the amount of pollutants. In our email thread, she wrote, “Snow removal and ice maintenance on a bridge would likely require the use of either salt, brine, or sand, none of which would likely have positive impacts on the lake. A bridge would also provide a more direct route for pollutants from cars (leaking oil or other automotive fluids) to enter the lake.” 

Utah Lake’s shallowness makes it highly sensitive to such changes, and there would most likely be an increase in algal blooms with bridges. Causeways amplify these concerns. The proposed Lehi South Expressway causeway cuts across the North Shore Wetland restoration site, the new Saratoga Springs marina, the American Fork marina, and the Jordan River Inlet. Not only does this impede recreation and threaten successful restoration, any area cut off would likely have serious salinity and algal bloom challenges. While bridges allow some natural water movement, causeways isolate areas of the lake, disrupting the natural hydrological flow. The Great Salt Lake causeway, which prevents natural salinity level balancing, offers a powerful example of the complications of cutting off portions of waterbodies.

The lake is a rare swath of open space, wilderness right in the center of urban chaos. It is imperative to recognize and act on the knowledge that Utah Lake is open wild, a space worthy of protection as much as any national forest or national park. It is not an empty place begging for development.

The lake’s wild is worth protecting not only for the incredible, unique views but also for all it represents and all it does. Protecting the lakescape, preserving the way it looks now, which is similar to the way it has looked for the last 13,000 years, also helps restore, conserve, and replenish the waterbody. That feels like one of the most worthy care goals of local conservation because once lost, that wildness cannot be recaptured.

Our team is happy to talk with others on this issue, as we explore bridge-free, lower-impact traffic solutions for Utah Valley. 

PROTECT OUR WATER QUALITY, PRESERVE OUR LAKESCAPE, AND ADVOCATE FOR MORE CARING AND REPLENISHING TRAFFIC SOLUTIONS. 

REMEMBER: The MAG 2027–2055 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is currently in development and open for public comment until June 3, 2026. Comments may be submitted HERE. 

Please share this information with your community.

Utah Lake is one of the largest and most productive freshwater lakes in the western U.S. This keystone ecosystem is the centerpiece of our community, providing critical habitat, abundant recreational opportunities, and invaluable ecosystem services such as removing pollution and creating local precipitation. In this time of dramatic change, we need evidence-based management and legislation to protect and restore this unique, beautiful, and dynamic lake. Visit https://pws.byu.edu/utah-lake for more information about the lake.

For information about the status of algal blooms at Utah Lake, visit this link.

We Have The Power to Impact Our Future, and We’re Doing Something About It

A coalition of Utah conservation groups, led by Conserve Utah Valley, has joined forces stop the development of Utah Lake.  We were successful in stopping the Lake Restoration Solutions project to dredge and build islands on the lake. Thank you for your support in protecting Utah Lake!