Who was Bangerter — and why is there a highway named after him?

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Chances are you’ve driven on Bangerter Highway — it’s one of the most heavily traveled highways in Salt Lake County.

But where did that name come from?

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Norman Howard Bangerter was an American politician and businessman who served as the 13th Governor of Utah from 1985 to 1993.

In 1993, the Utah Legislature approved SCR13 — a resolution that named SR 154 the Norman H. Bangerter Highway, after the former governor.

According to AA Roads, Bangerter was both a supporter of the highway project and a proponent of alleviating traffic congestion along the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. His efforts reportedly led the state legislature to support the West Valley Highway project in 1988.

Who was Bangerter?

According to the Utah History Encyclopedia, Bangerter was a Utahn through and through. He was born in Granger, Utah in 1933 and married Colleen Monson of Manga, Utah. Together, the couple had six children and raised a foster son.

At 30 years old, Bangerter founded his own construction company, which specialized in home building and residential real estate development. The company developed into a successful enterprise, which did especially well during the 1970s’ economic boom, the Utah History Encyclopedia said.

Once that business became established, Bangerter became interested in politics — serving in the state House of Representatives from 1975 to 1985, and holding leadership positions including assistant majority whip, majority leader, and speaker of the house.

In 1984, Bangerter became the Republican candidate for governor and defeated Democratic candidate Wayne Owens by a margin of 56-44%.

While in office, Bangerter addressed issues such as the rising Great Salt Lake — the result of several consecutive years of heavy rainfall. He reportedly built a large pump station that pumped the water onto the west desert.

“The $60 million project reduced the level of the lake and helped protect the state’s vital interstate highway systems, the airport, and municipal wastewater treatment plants while providing a sense of security to several large lake businesses for the future,” Utah History Encyclopedia said. “Decreased rainfall in the following years, however, left many Utah taxpayers feeling that the money for the pumps had been ill-spent.”

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