Please be aware as a new school year is beginning we will see an increase of pedestrian traffic due to the opening of Cedar Valley High School, district busing changes, and population growth in the city.

Hidden Hollow Elementary will hold a Back to School night Monday, August 19 from 4-6 p.m. The new traffic signal at Hidden Valley Pkwy will be on flashing red, with a deputy directing traffic from 3:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Following this event the signal will be restored to normal function.

The following maps show recommended walking routes and crossings for Pony Express Parkway and Eagle Mountain Blvd in City Center.

Recommended Routes – west of Eagle Mountain Blvd

Recommended Routes – east of Pony Express Pkwy

Tyson Foods announced at the Cedar Valley High School grand opening August 17 a $50,000 grant to the Alpine School District’s Christa McAuliffe Space Center and Planetarium. The investment is part of a larger capital campaign to add simulators, upgrade existing simulators and install a permanent planetarium dome.

“We are grateful to strong business partners like Tyson Foods who are making a difference for our students and families in the community of Eagle Mountain and in other communities throughout Alpine School District. A donation for expanding our Space Center and Planetarium at Central Elementary, will benefit elementary students from all of our 61 schools who participate in the Space Center’s exciting and engaging learning opportunities. Perhaps another gem from this $50,000 donation is that it will be matched by the Edward St. John Foundation adding addition support to this project,” noted Superintendent Jarman.

Tyson Foods announced in May it will build a $300 million case ready plant in Eagle Mountain City, Utah, which is projected to create 800 jobs initially, then expand to 1,200 jobs within three years of opening. The plant is expected to open in 2021.

“We’ve spent significant time this year getting to know the people of Eagle Mountain, the surrounding communities and are confident this investment will help support students in the Alpine School District for years to come,” said Nate Hodne, SVP and general manager, Case Ready Meats. “We’re proud to be a part of this community and look forward to building on the strong relationships we’ve already developed in Utah.”

Tom Sharp, complex manager for the Tyson Case Ready Meats facility locating in Eagle Mountain, gives a toy chicken to a young visitor at the Cedar Valley High School Grand Opening.

Tyson Foods provided snacks, water, and SWAG for visitors at the Cedar Valley High School Grand Opening.

Update 8/16/19: Paving will occur in the area of Lone Tree/Hidden Hollow on Saturday, August 17 and Monday, August 19. Hidden Valley Pkwy and White Birch will be closed at various times but not at the same time. Some additional work on the water line tie-in may be necessary, causing paving to be delayed in part of the section between Sandpiper Dr. and Hidden Valley. The closure at Sandpiper Dr. may be extended into early next week. Traffic signals at Saddle Rock/Red Hawk, Hidden Valley, and Mid Valley will be activated Sunday, August 18 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Please be watchful and drive carefully through the construction zone as this project finishes up this phase.

The construction activity occurring on Pony Express Parkway since late spring is due to the city’s desire to be proactive in planning for continued growth and development and to respond to residents’ concerns about timing and traffic flow.

Following is information we hope will help residents understand the scope of the work being completed.

Multiple Projects

Construction on Pony Express Parkway is accomplishing several projects:

Pony Express Parkway Widening

Project to widen Pony Express Pkwy with two lanes each direction from Hidden Valley Pkwy (entrance to Hidden Hollow Elementary School) to Lake Mountain Road doubled in size when additional funding was allocated by the City and extended to two lanes each direction to Mid Valley Road (entrance to Frontier Middle School/Wride Park).

CWP Water Line

Four years ago the City installed a line to receive water from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CWP). That line has now been extended between Lake Mountain Road and Cedar Pass Drive to bring additional water supply to City Center. This project was done in conjunction with the road widening to avoid having to tear up the road to install the line later.

Water Reuse Line

A secondary water line was installed between the city’s wastewater facility to Wride Park as part of the Facebook Data Center agreement to provide irrigation for the park from water that has been used for the data center’s cooling system. This helps decrease the demand on the culinary water system.

Traffic Signals

Five new traffic signals will be installed – Aviator Ave (entrance to Cedar Valley High School), Mid Valley Road, Hidden Valley Pkwy, Red Hawk Ranch Road, and Smith Ranch Road. These signals will replace existing stop signs (with the exception of the new Aviator Ave) and improve traffic flow, as well as providing safer school crossings.

Timing

Construction began as soon as weather permitted in the spring. The widening project was organized to avoid the Hidden Valley Pkwy and Mid Valley Road intersections until schools were out for summer break.

Some delays have occurred related to weather, an unexpected settling issue with the existing water line, and coordination with Rocky Mountain Power to move power lines. The traffic signal at Smith Ranch Road has been delayed until fall due to not receiving delivery of the signal by the expected time frame.

The contractor agreed to work with the City to get as much as possible done before the end of summer to lessen the burden on residents and schools during the school year. The widening project is currently on track for total completion by fall, with a significant portion finished before school starts.

Both the widening and traffic signals are being completed ahead of the timeline recommended by warrant studies, in some cases several years ahead. The City made these improvements the highest priority in budgeting.

Savings

By working with the same contractor the city doubled the scope of the project but only added a fraction of project time. All of the projects managed separately could have taken up to four years to complete.

With the time savings comes potential cost savings by avoiding increases in construction costs.

Plans

A microsurfacing treatment will be done on Pony Express Pkwy in September. This process is a proactive measure to extend the life of the road.

The City is planning for funding to continuing the widening of Pony Express Pkwy from Mid Valley Road to Bobby Wren Blvd. No specific timeline has been established for this yet.

As part of the Facebook Data Center agreement, Pony Express Pkwy will be widened from Eagle Mountain Blvd south to the data center.

The City is currently assessing the needs of Eagle Mountain Blvd and planning for future improvements for that road.

Due to construction on Pony Express Pkwy, a portion of the Pony Express Trail is disrupted. The City has provided alternate access via a temporary trail as illustrated in the map below as Frontier Middle School and Cedar Valley High School start next week.

The first round of unofficial election results will be posted on the County website following the close of the polls, Tuesday, August 13, at 8:00 PM. Other releases will be reported as locations return their data.

The Canvass is scheduled for August 27 and the report will include the number of outstanding ballots not processed, provisional ballots, and the number of cure letter ballots.

In the Eagle Mountain City primary, the six candidates with the highest number of votes will continue on to the general election on November 5.

Unofficial Primary Election Results Update 08-15-2019 at 12:35PM

Utah County may post updated results around 10-10:30 p.m.

The Eagle’s View – August 2019