EXHIBITS

Summary

Having long been the largest city in the state and a key transportation hub of the Intermountain West, Salt Lake City has seen a large and continually growing number of people and goods moving in and out of the city on a daily basis. In the past century and today, city and state planners have looked to highways to meet those growing transportation needs.  

In 1946, a section of what is now Interstate 15 was proposed to be built as a “super road” intended to move traffic in and out of the downtown area. But for citizens of Salt Lake’s west side, this would put a highway directly through their community. The Federal Highway Act of 1956 transformed the proposed west side highway into the state’s first section of interstate. The building of the interstate system affected every American. Interstates made travel easier for a great number of people, but they also destroyed the homes and livelihoods of others. From activism, to construction, to the lasting consequences of the interstate, this exhibit tells the story of how the original section of interstate in Utah, completed in 1964, changed Salt Lake’s west side. We place this story in the larger context of national interstate highway building during this period.  

Writing for this exhibit was conducted in part by graduate students in History 6020 Public History Theory & Methods. The students used/utilized archival material primarily held by the state of Utah to create this collaborative historical narrative of highway construction, Salt Lake’s west side, and the wider historical context of the conflicts within that history. 

In 2023, as we contemplate yet another expansion to this west side segment of I-15, it is time to evaluate the long-term consequences of interstate highway construction, both in Utah and across the nation. Only by confronting this history honestly can we think about better, more effective design solutions for the future that prioritize human needs over simple mechanized expediency. 

Research for this project was funded in part by the Utah Department of Transportation. 

 Project Credits: 

• • Rebecca Andersen, PhD, Lecturer in Modern U.S. History and Utah History | Internship Coordinator | Head of Public History Program 
  • Brittany Bertazon, MLIS, Digital Project Manager 
  • Tameron Fawcett-Williams, MA, Lead Researcher 
  • Darcy Pumphrey, MLIS/MA, Digital Asset Librarian  
  • Becky Thoms, MLIS, Head of Digital Initiatives 
  • Preston Waddoups, Copy Editor 
  • Shay Larsen, Graphic Designer

Preferred Citation: 

Andersen, Rebecca, Bertazon, Brittany, and Fawcett-Williams, Tameron, et al. “(In) The Road of Progress: The West Side and I-15" exhibition, Utah State University Libraries, June 28, 2023. http://exhibits.usu.edu/exhibits/show/intheroadofprogress-west-side