UDOT prioritizes top projects in state and in Utah County
The
Utah Department of Transportation will undertake no more than 150
projects statewide in 2016, less than the average 200 projects per year
for the state department.
“The 2016 projects are fewer, but higher in value,” said John Gleason, UDOT spokesman.
“There
are a number of maintenance issues that we are taking care of for our
roads and bridges to make sure that they last for years to come."
Major projects will widen freeways,
maintain highways and build new roads to help traffic flow and provide
more options for north-south and east-west travel.
Included
on the list of UDOT's top 10 projects is the Point Project, an issue
that has gnawed on Utah County motorists’ nerves for nearly two years.
“This is critical. I-15 is one of the most heavily traveled freeways in Utah,” Gleason said. “It’s our busiest freeway.
Built in the 1960s, Interstate 15 is getting a complete makeover with new concrete placement and more travel lanes.
“We should be wrapping up completion later this fall,” Gleason said.
Crews
continue widening the freeway and placing new concrete pavement on I-15
from 12300 South in Salt Lake County to State Route 92 in Lehi. Major
construction this season will happen primarily between 12300 South and
Bangerter Highway, with finish work taking place at the southern end of
the project area from Bangerter Highway to SR 92.
U.S.
Highway 189 in Provo Canyon is another large project that will impact
Utah County residents. Crews are widening a six-mile segment of the
highway near Deer Creek Reservoir to two lanes in each direction, plus a
center turn lane.
Adding the lanes will reduce congestion and hazardous travel for recreationalists.
Another
reconstruction project of significant proportions is taking place in
Spanish Fork. Sewer line replacement and roadway reconstruction of Main
Street from 1000 North to 300 South starts next week.
“We
are coordinating the projects to minimize travel delays and will
maintain business access during business hours,” said Eileen Barron with
UDOT.
UDOT will add a second
northbound right turn lane at 1000 North. In addition to replacing the
roadway surface, crews will reconstruct existing pedestrian ramps. Curb
and gutter, storm drain and driveway approaches will be replaced or
repaired at specific locations.
At the request of the city, UDOT incorporated sewer upgrades along Main Street.
Elsewhere
in south Utah County, a six-mile section of 400 North in Spanish Fork,
which also functions as SR 147, will also be resurfaced. The project
extends from I-15 in Spanish Fork to Maple Street in Mapleton. It is
expected to begin at the end of May, with construction activities
lasting about two months.
To
the north, Lehi is working with UDOT to redesign a section of SR 73 with
a raised median and a traffic light. The engineers will be adding two
additional lanes to the short thoroughfare.
Meanwhile, the lack of reconstruction on I-15 from SR 92 to SR 73 in Lehi has some motorists puzzled.
“I know they are working on I-15
from SR 92 to Main Street, but not for a few years. Until they get to
it, we’re working with UDOT to try and get that started more quickly,”
said Cameron Boyle, a city spokesman.
Currently, UDOT has program funding to begin that phase of construction in 2020.
“We’ve
been balancing priorities across the state; as far as statewide
priorities that is where that project fell,” Barron said. “In 2020, we
will be ready to go.
"We are
not just sitting around waiting. We are actively priming for the project
and taking care of things that need to be done before the project
begins.”
Many Cedar Valley
motorists are waiting for the Utah County Mountain View Corridor phase
that cuts through west Saratoga Springs, providing a second north-south
corridor for the community.
In the meantime, Saratoga Springs has another large UDOT project ongoing.
“The
big one they are working for Saratoga Springs is the Redwood Road
project,” said Spencer Kyle, a spokesman for the city. “They were able
to bump up that project by a year. They are in the process of designing
and will begin work in 2017.
“I
think everyone is excited. I think the residents in the south portion
of the city wish that it was already built, but it’s nice that it was
moved up a year.”
The project completion of two more lanes and a turn lane will significantly reduce peak-hour traffic congestion, Kyle said.
All UDOT projects can be seen on UDOT’s traffic app for smart phones. The agency website at udottraffic.utah.gov also gives traffic updates and traffic alerts, and lists construction sites.
Comment: I have an idea! Traffic in and around the Thanksgiving Point area is already at an "F" level, lets keep building more commercial buildings. That has got to improve traffic conditions, don't you think? Thousands of new employees will be added to the area in the next year or so, 60+ new business, 10's of thousands of new cars daily. In the end, I believe we can say, the traffic will get worse before it gets better.
http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/udot-prioritizes-top-projects-in-state-and-in-utah-county/article_87704e6f-2f87-53c6-ad52-3c1fbde4c010.html
No comments:
Post a Comment