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UTAH COUNTY -- The massive rebuild of Interstate 15 in Utah County is beginning to affect traffic throughout the 24-mile construction zone.
Another significant closure over the weekend changed the way traffic flows into Provo: The ramp at Center Street was demolished so the freeway can be widened.
Things are changing along I-15 in Utah County almost daily. Off ramps are gone, lanes are shifting and it's becoming clear that construction workers are making some progress.
Drive anywhere between Lehi and Spanish Fork in Utah County now, and you will see almost continuous construction work through 24 miles of I-15.
"Work is moving pretty quickly right now all along the corridor," said Utah Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Thompson. "You are going to see work on the side of the road, the middle of the road, overpasses, frontage roads, work is going on all over."
Late Saturday night, crews demolished the southbound flyover ramp on Center Street, which leads to downtown Provo. The old ramp was too narrow for what will be a wider I-15.
- Beginning July 12:Traffic on Main Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction for construction on I-15 over Main Street. Flaggers will be present to direct traffic.
- Beginning July 13: I-15 will be reduced to two lanes in each direction at night to accommodate work activities for the widening of I-15. Activities will take place at Orem Center Street, 800 North and other various bridge locations.
- July 14-15: Provo Center Street Closed for Bridge Demolition. Crews will remove the ramp bridge over Center Street. Center Street will be closed between 900 West and 1600 West from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Local motorists can use 820 North or 600 South as alternate routes. Detour map.
Drivers, however, can still use the exit and go east under the freeway.
"You really had two exits there, two ramps," Thompson said. "So what we've done is left the existing ramp there. We've added a left turn lane and a temporary signal so people can still get east and west."
Later this week, several miles of the freeway will be switched to the opposite side as crews begin rebuilding a large section of I-15.
"We're going to start having some traffic shifts throughout the corridor," Thompson said. "The first one is going to be from Springville down to Spanish Fork, where we are going to be moving all traffic over to the east so we can start building those new lanes. People are going to see some cross points and traffic shifting back and for that drivers need to be aware of."
The work is causing some slowdowns during the day. Most of the lane restrictions happen after 10 at night and can cause delays, but night work allows crews to finish the project in a much shorter time.
"A lot of our major work is happening overnight because we know the traffic volumes are lighter at those times, but we know people are still traveling through," Thompson said.
The work is still two-and-a-half years from being completely finished December of 2012. You can check in advance for overnight closures on the I-15 CORE project website.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
