UAPA is proud to recognize Eagle Mountain, Utah, as a recipient of UAPA’s Friend of Industry award. We recently spoke with Zac Hilton, Streets and Stormwater Manager for Eagle Mountain, about the city and the award.

The following article is based on the city’s website and the information Zac gave us.

Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a master-planned community that was incorporated in 1996. Geographically, the city is about 50 square miles and has about 50,000 residents. Its physical size makes it the third-largest city in Utah. Eagle Mountain has 205 paved lane miles, representing a large amount of growth for a city that is only a little more than 25 years old. Last year, the city added just over 20 lane miles of residential streets. For several years before that, it added 15 lane miles per year. Keeping up with the growth has been challenging.

The Friend of Industry award is presented to an individual or organization that demonstrates vision, dedication, and cooperation between the private and public sectors to better the pavement industry. Eagle Mountain has an aggressive, innovative maintenance program and has fostered many relationships with people in the asphalt industry for the last five to six years. The vote to give the Friend of Industry award to the city was unanimous.

When asked about the importance of UAPA, Zac Hilton said, “UAPA is a network where people can find information from one another. It’s a great place to learn what’s new, what works, and where the industry is going. It forges relationships that help when you are looking for information. Membership becomes a two-way street. You can tap into other people’s knowledge to gain knowledge, and sometimes you teach. Anyone who is involved at all is helping UAPA and making the industry better.”

Most of the people in Eagle Mountain are part of very young families. There are many young adults and many young children. The city’s leaders want to give them some big projects to improve their quality of life. Since Eagle Mountain is located on the west side of Utah county, it is set back on its own, and many residents commute. There are plans to provide more and better transportation to help residents get to other places. Also, the city is working to increase the number of commercial businesses in the community. Eagle Mountain has one grocery store already, Ridley’s Family Markets in Porter’s Crossing Town Center. There are plans to open a Macey’s Grocery, too. It will be in the Marketplace at Eagle Mountain Town Center.

Eagle Mountain is near the Lake Mountains and already has many outdoor opportunities, such as its mountain bike trail system maintained by a group of mountain bike enthusiasts. “It features incredible runs where jumps have been set up, and people either bike or walk,” said Zac. “A lot of people come here for that.”

It is possible to get to most places in the city on miles and miles of paved trailways. “Every trail that goes in gets used,” said Zac. There are also places for off-road driving. Since 2018, the city has had the Cory B. Wride Memorial Park. The park is being built in phases, and the first two phases are complete.

The city’s leaders value maintaining its wildlife habitat and are working to create a dedicated wildlife migration zone through the middle of the city.

As Zac reflected on UAPA’s Friend of Industry Award, he said, “It’s an honor for us to accept the award. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of UAPA because it has given me access to many people. Everyone has been wonderful. UAPA fosters an environment where its members and leaders are patient and share their knowledge. That’s huge. I have always tried to reciprocate.”