The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded $14.7 million to fund the initial phase of the planned Northern Utah Veterans Cemetery in Washington Terrace, a development that advances a project first announced in late September. The federal grant will support the construction of infrastructure and burial sites on a 75-acre plot within a larger 100-acre state-controlled parcel in Weber County.
Federal Funding for Dual Projects
The funding, provided by the National Cemetery Administration, is part of a larger $16.5 million allocation directed toward two Utah-based veteran services projects. While $14.7 million is earmarked for the new Washington Terrace location, nearly $2 million was awarded to expand the existing Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park in Bluffdale. The Bluffdale expansion will fund landscaping, irrigation work, and the construction of 1,400 columbarium niches.
Infrastructure and Capacity
The new Washington Terrace cemetery is designed to accommodate 4,000 veterans and their family members. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the $14.7 million grant will cover the construction of administrative and maintenance buildings, supporting infrastructure, 550 in-ground gravesites, 500 pre-placed crypts, and 600 recessed columbarium niches for cremated remains.
Construction for the Washington Terrace site is expected to begin in 2027, with the first phase of the project estimated to take approximately one year to complete. Once the cemetery is fully established, the state of Utah will be responsible for its ongoing maintenance.
Expanding Veteran Access
The federal investment aims to increase the proximity of burial benefits to the populations that earned them. Sam Brown, the Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, stated in a news release that these grants allow states to better serve veterans and their families in their local communities.
Brown noted that because of this federal program, more than 94% of veterans living in the United States have access to burial benefits at a cemetery located within 75 miles of their residence. The agency reported that in 2025, more than 44,700 veterans and family members were interred in cemeteries that had received funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Site Specifications
The development of the Washington Terrace cemetery follows a broader effort to address the needs of the region's veteran population. The site will occupy 75 acres of a 100-acre parcel of state-controlled land in Weber County, providing a dedicated space for local veterans and their families.
