From North Salt Lake to the
Point of the Mountain, I-15 is
the Utah Department of Transportation's crown jewel
achievement. But how do
Utah drivers feel about
the new freeway?
We decided to find out, with an exclusive
KSL-Deseret News poll.
News Specialist Richard
Piatt has the results.
This is one question everyone has an answer for and
an opinion on.
After four years of construction and
tens of billions of dollars, we wondered if people
thought it was worth it.
It's new, and there's ...
"MORE ROOM."
It is wider. It's smoother, and ...
"I THINK IT'S EASY."
And most of all ...
"FINALLY!"
Relief that it's done.
The new I-15 is open to everyone, and open to
everyone's observations and criticisms.
Since the big
grand opening in May, people have had a chance to
form an opinion. And we wanted to know what that
opinion was.
In a KSL/Deseret News Dan Jones poll, we asked
people what their impressions of I-15 are.
Of the 403 people we polled statewide, 78 percent
say they've used I-15 since it's been open.
Have you driven on I-15 in Salt Lake County in the last month or so when the major parts of the freeway have been opened?
| Yes |
78% |
| No |
22% |
| Don't Know |
0% |
Of those who used it, we asked how the finished
product was working for them.
Which of the following best describes your general impression of the new freeway in Salt Lake County?
| More open/less crowded than expected |
48% |
| Congestion about as expected |
38% |
| More crowded than expected |
11% |
| Other |
3% |
| Don't know |
1% |
Almost half the people
say they think the freeway is more open, and less
crowded than they expected.
"THE QUANTITY OF LANES IS GREAT TO
USE."
"IT'S SO BIG IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE
HARDLY MOVING ON IT!"
38 percent say the room on the freeway is about what
they expected it would be.
Since the freeway is very different in spots, we asked
about freeway signs for exits, and lanes that end.
Overall how did you find the signs on the freeway?
| Very confusing |
4% |
| Somewhat confusing |
24% |
| Somewhat clear |
34% |
| Very clear |
35% |
| Don't Know |
4% |
The
vast majority--69 percent--say the signs are either
very or somewhat clear to understand.
"PRETTY EASY AND CLEAR TO ME, I'M
PRETTY HAPPY WITH IT."
Another 28 percent say the current signs are
somewhat or very confusing. This kind of confusion is
something UDOT is aware of, but something they
hope will work itself out in time.
Joe Walker/UDOT Spokesman: "THEY
WILL GET IT, THE MORE THEY UTILIZE
IT, IT'LL BECOME MORE COMFORTABLE
TO THEM."
We didn't inlcude any questions about the construction
of I-15 iteself, which is a separate issue.
But just so
you know, UDOT expects the night time closures to
be completely done in a couple weeks.
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