BLM Says Northern Corridor Is Dead; WashCo Officials Say ‘Not So Fast’

It's an incredibly complex issue, but a quick summary is this:

• Washington County has a traffic issue and an efficient route from I-15 to the West side of the county is sorely needed
• For years, Washington County has been setting up its infrastructure for a "Northern Corridor," which would lead traffic through the desert to western locations like Santa Clara and Ivins, a road approved during the Barack Obama administration
• An environmental group, Conserve Southwest, has stepped forward to protest the road, which would have used some land (154 acres) in the desert tortoise reserve
• In reevaluating the proposal, the Bureau of Land Management ruled Thursday to nix the proposed road and has ordered Washington County and the state to build a "belt route" in place of the current Red Hills Parkway
• Washington County, despite pledging 7,000 acres to help relocate desert tortoises, was denied its Northern Corridor plans
• Officials for the county, including commissioner Adam Snow, deemed the new "belt route" unbuildable ("There is not enough room for what they propose")
• Snow and company vowed the fight is not over -- "We will continue to fight and try to get back what we felt was a really good deal the first time."

Snow said the Northern Corridor is critical and anyone who lives here knows it.

"This decision is a political decision for donors only. These donors want to kill off the road. Growth and transportation is against their mission and I think the people of Washington County need to understand that this is what Conserve Southwest is."

"Now that we have the incoming Trump administration, we'll have a partner again in the Federal Government. We'll make calls and see what we can do to try and undo this horrible political decision."

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