Crossroads Port:
Remediating the Past, Building Utah’s Future
DECEMBER 23,2025
PHOTOGRAPHER: NICK ARCHAMBAULT
A forgotten landfill is becoming a landmark of Utah’s future. Since acquiring the former North Temple Landfill earlier this year, the Utah Inland Port Authority has launched a sweeping effort to clean, restore, and reimagine the site as Crossroads Port—a modern center for advanced manufacturing and logistics. What once sat idle for decades is now one of the most significant redevelopment projects in the state, with environmental cleanup, infrastructure installation, and long-term planning all moving forward.
The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA), which acquired the 770-acre property earlier this year, has spent the past several months carrying out one of the largest environmental cleanup projects in state history. Crews have carved new construction access roads, installed erosion and storm-water controls, established air monitoring equipment and begun excavating and consolidating decades of buried waste.
Crossroads Port sits at one of the most strategic locations in the Intermountain West, adjacent to Interstate-80, the Salt Lake City International Airport, and a Patriot Rail–served corridor. The work underway today will turn a long-dormant brownfield into a catalyst for statewide economic growth.
“This is the largest brownfield in the state of Utah today,” said Gary McEntee Ninigret Managements Project Executive, UIPA’s contractor overseeing the remediation site. “I don’t believe anything of this nature has ever been done at this scale.”
A Historic Cleanup Effort
Since work began in June, more than 500,000 cubic yards of waste have been excavated across roughly 70 acres. October alone saw more than 96,000 cubic yards removed—an average of more than 4,500 cubic yards per day.
To put that in perspective, 96,000 cubic yards in a single month is enough material to fill nearly 30 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Excavation crews have also extracted more than one million gallons of leachate which had accumulated at the bottom of the waste cells over the 47 years that the site has sat idle after its closing in 1978. Utilizing an innovative evaporation technology, the project has been able to manage and eliminate the vast majority of the liquid safely and efficiently.
As part of the Projects approved Remedial Action Plan (RAP) cell bottom soil confirmation sampling is conducted at numerous locations within each excavated waste cell prior to initiating cell backfilling with clean soil.
“We’ve taken over 70 confirmation samples to date, and every one of them has passed meeting UDEQ’s project standards,” McEntee said. “That’s a credit to the crews performing the waste cell excavation efforts that we haven’t had to go back in and dig out additional material.”
Weekly site visits by UDEQ staff, independent sampling, and quarterly review meetings have kept the cleanup on a tight schedule, while maintaining the safety and integrity of the cleanup.Project leaders describe the partnership with UDEQ as unusually effective.
“There’s a genuine trust and cooperation level between the organizations,” said Mark Nord, UIPA’s Director of Real Estate and Development who is overseeing the Crossroads Port. “It’s allowed us to expedite remediation more effectively than we originally anticipated.”
Preparing Land for Utah's Future Economy
Once remediation of the southeastern portion of the site—known as Phase One—is complete, Crossroads Port will open 185 acres of developable land in one of the most strategically connected locations in the Intermountain West.
Phase One infrastructure will include new internal roads, water and sewer lines, storm-water systems, and upgraded power capacity coordinated with Rocky Mountain Power. Rail access will allow companies with heavy logistics or manufacturing footprints to operate immediately.
“If you don’t have the infrastructure in place, it becomes too difficult for companies to choose your site,” Nord said. “Our goal is to start working to make this land ready the moment remediation is complete.”
UIPA expects the waste excavation and back filling efforts for Phase I to be completed by early fall of 2026. With UDEQ’s concurrent site infrastructure expected to be initiated immediately thereafter. Once that clearance is in hand, recruitment will begin in earnest.
“Most tenants want to see utilities and road connections underway,” Nord said. “Once remediation clears, we can begin recruiting immediately.”
With infrastructure construction starting later in 2026, the first employers could begin preparing their building pads as early as 2027.
PHOTOGRAPHER: NICK ARCHAMBAULT
“
We’ve taken over 70 confirmation samples to date, and every one of them has passed meeting UDEQ’s project standards.
That’s a credit to the crews performing the waste cell excavation efforts that we haven’t had to go back in and dig out additional material.”
—Gary McEntee, Ninigret Managements Project Executive
Cell Excavation Progress
A progress map shows excavation activity from October, highlighting completed and in-progress cell excavation, buffer restoration, and onsite repository placement areas.
PHOTOGRAPHER: NICK ARCHAMBAULT
More than one million gallons of leachate have been removed from these waste cells and safely treated using innovative evaporation technology. Bottom soils are then sampled before clean backfill is placed, as required by the approved Remedial Action Plan.
PHOTOGRAPHER: NICK ARCHAMBAULT
“
“We’re not just cleaning up waste.We’re building the foundation for
Utah’s future.”
—Mark Nord, UIPA’s Director of Real Estate and Development
A Long-Term Vision for a Redevelopment District
While Phase One prepares to come online, UIPA is finalizing a master plan for the remainder of the property. Much of that work involves balancing land availability with the cost and feasibility of relocating or consolidating remaining waste. For now, consolidation on site remains the most cost-effective option, though the agency has signaled openness to alternatives.
“We want to keep the momentum going while giving ourselves room to master plan the entire site,” Nord said.
Phase Two and future phases will follow a similar structure: excavation, leachate removal, backfilling, and site grading, followed by infrastructure construction and phased release of developable land.
Crossroads Port represents more than an environmental cleanup—it is part of a broader economic strategy to expand Utah’s industrial footprint and prepare for long-term growth in manufacturing and logistics. For companies looking for proximity to highways, rail, and air cargo, developable land near the airport has historically been scarce. The redevelopment of this site changes that.
“This land is in an amazing location, and companies have already expressed interest,” Nord said. “We finally have acreage near the freeway and airport that can support major employers.”
Once remediation is complete, the visual transformation will be unmistakable.
“The land will stand out—185 acres adjacent to I-80 graded, contoured, and clearly ready to build on,” McEntee said.
Looking Ahead
UIPA plans to continue releasing remediation metrics, drone footage, schedules, and master-planning updates as the project advances. A public launch of the Crossroads Port brand is expected next year as Phase One nears completion.
What was once a long-neglected landfill is becoming a place where environmental stewardship and economic opportunity meet.
“We’re not just cleaning up waste,” Nord said. “We’re building the foundation for Utah’s future.”
PHOTOGRAPHER: NICK ARCHAMBAULT
“This isn’t just a cleanup—it’s a comeback. We’re remediating with intention—laying the groundwork for high-wage jobs, future-focused industries, and a more resilient west side.”
—Ben Hart, Executive Director of the Utah Inland Port Authority