You're heading out of town for the long weekend. You figure that since I-15 reconstruction is practically finished, roadwork won't be a problem. You might be wrong!
If you're heading south to Moab or Lake Powell you could find a road block.
With I-15 construction winding down, road work on Highway 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon is the biggest road project in the state right now.
Highway 6 has been called one of the most dangerous highways in the country, and UDOT is spending millions of dollars to improve it.
Right now a six mile stretch of the highway from the Diamond Fork turnoff to just past the turnoff to Highway 89, is down to one lane in each direction. Because of the road work, the lanes are narrow, with essentially no shoulder.
So UDOT is encouraging those with recreational vehicles headed south to just stay on I-15 and then get on I-70.
UDOT says that bigger vehicles are still allowed in the canyon, but again, they are recommending they take alternate routes.
Workers will be on the job Friday and Saturday.
No work will be done Sunday or Monday, but the single lanes will remain the same.
This construction work will last until sometime in August.
Other Summer Construction
Road crews will be working on hundreds of other projects all over the state this summer.
News Specialist John Daley has details.
I-15 has been UDOT's main focus for four years.
But with that rebuild over there're all kinds of other projects all over Utah that need work--road widening, bridge work, concrete grinding.
One example--I-80 from State Street to Parley's Canyon.
To make up for paving seasons lost due to the I-15 project, UDOT has a somewhat scary slate of roadwork in the works for this summer.
You could call this era of tearing up and rebuilding the Re-construction.
Statewide there will be 202 projects.
Price tag--$395 million dollars, paid for mostly by Utah taxpayers.
Amanda Covington/UDOT Spokeswoman: "CONSTRUCTION WILL CONTINUE. WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO BREATH LIFE INTO THE CORRIDORS AND THE SYSTEMS THAT WE DO HAVE."
No part of the state will be spared.
Some of the highlights:
- Southbound I-15 from Ogden to Clearfield.
- The complete reconstruction of six miles of U.S. 6 between Price and Diamond Fork Canyon
- Down south in Kane County, U-89 from North Glendale to Long Valley Junction.
The heart of the Wasatch Front, UDOT's Region 2, which includes Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele and part of Davis County, gets the bulk of the roadwork business.
100 projects--70 in the Salt Lake Valley alone--costing $205 million.
Expect delays in a number of places including:
- I-80--State Street to Parleys Canyon
- 9000 South--State Street to Monroe Street
- U-36--Main Street in Tooele
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I-215--the 3500 South Interchange near the E Center
-
I-80 at Kimball Junction on the way to Park City
Amanda Covington/UDOT Spokeswoman: "WELL THIS IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST CONSTRUSTION MAINTENANCE SEASONS WE'VE HAD. WHILE I-15 WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION WE COULDN'T BE ON SOME OF THOSE SIDE STREETS BECAUSE THEY WERE ALTERNATES. BUT NOW WE'RE SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS AND LOOKING BACK ON SOME OF THOSE."
The good news is that work on these projects is not happening Memorial Day weekend.
The bad news is that we will have to deal with it through September.
