Proposed scenic byway would connect Richmond to Logan Canyon's US 89

By Matt Sonnenberg

February 25, 2008 | RICHMOND -- A Cache Valley Scenic Byway proposal was presented to the Richmond City Council last week.

The proposed byway would be a continuation of an existing byway that is currently cut off in Franklin, Idaho at the Utah border, and would run through Richmond before turning west and passing through Trenton and Newton before the route turns back eastbound to pass through Logan.

The byway would also connect the current byway from the Idaho-Utah border to U.S. Highway 89 up Logan Canyon.

Lisa Duskin-Goede, a heritage specialist from the Bear River Association of Governments, presented the proposal to the council to bring up consideration to allow the byway to pass through Richmond. She suggested to the council that they attempt to put together a grassroots committee of citizens to discuss pros and cons of having the byway run through their city. While maps for the proposed byway have already been drawn up, Duskin-Goede said that the route is subject to change.

One of the conditions of a scenic byway is that new billboards would be outlawed from being built along the byway's traveling route. A concern of the effect on local business advertising was mentioned by the council, however Duskin-Goede was clear that any existing billboards along the byway would not be affected.

Duskin-Goede said, "The billboards that are already there are grandfathered in." She also stated that billboards on the property of a business would not be outlawed.

City council members agreed to attempt to locate citizens interested in joining the committee to review the pros and cons of the proposed byway.

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