Residents Up In Arms Over UDOT Cement Plant

Aug 11, 2008 by KCPW

(KCPW News) The Utah Department of Transportation's construction of a temporary cement mixing plant on Wasatch Boulevard at 40th South has become a source of concern for residents of East Millcreek and Mount Olympus. Homeowners there say UDOT has completely disregarded the possible health effects of air pollution produced by the plant.

"It's within three-quarters of a mile of six schools here, which is very concerning with little kids out to recess. And we've got Dan's Foods right above it, and that cement dust can just go up and land on all that produce that we're all going to be eating. And [UDOT] doesn't seem to care," says Jan Bradshaw, who lives in the area and helped organize a letter from the community that was delivered to UDOT late last month.

The letter expresses the community's objection to the location of the cement plant, and says UDOT tried to mislead them by leaving the word "hazardous" out of a notice informing the public of air pollutants that will be created by the plant.

South Jordan, which previously housed the plant, had the power to shut it down if residents felt safety concerns weren't being met. Bradshaw says her community wants UDOT to give them the same opportunity.

"So that's all we're asking and UDOT is saying ‘it's our land, you're just eastside complainers.' And we're thinking this has nothing to do with eastside stuff, we're concerned about the whole valley. We don't want them to move it somewhere else so another residential area has problems. We want them to move it away from the residential areas," says Bradshaw.

Bradshaw says residents are concerned not only about toxic chemicals produced by the cement mixing plant, but also about diesel emissions from generators and trucks that will visit the plant. Wasatch Boulevard residents are meeting tonight at 7:30 to discuss UDOT's cement mixing plant. UDOT did not immediately return calls seeking comment on this story.

Meeting Details:

WHERE: 4007 S. Splendor Way (3330 E.)

WHEN: Monday, August 11, 7:30 pm

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