New $450M road project pushed up to help ease traffic in Lehi


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LEHI — A plan to relieve traffic in two major areas in northern Utah County is being pushed up on Utah Department of Transportation’s priority list.

On Friday, the Utah Transportation Commission gave UDOT the thumbs up to go forward with a $450 million project two years earlier than planned.

In early 2018, I-15 will expand from four to six lanes along a 4-mile stretch from Lehi Main Street to state Route 92.

"That's great news for those who live in the area, work in the area and, of course, everyone who drives on I-15," said UDOT spokesman John Gleason.

Last year, UDOT expanded I-15 to six lanes near Point of the Mountain; and in 2012, the agency completed the I-15 Core Project, which added two more lanes to each side of I-15 near Lehi Main Street. Expansion of this 4-mile stretch will connect the two projects, creating a continuous six lanes of traffic on each side of the freeway from Spanish Fork to Draper.

"This is really the last piece of I-15 that hasn't been rebuilt," Gleason said.

The second major area the project will be addressing is near Triumph Blvd., where UDOT officials plan to improve east-west travel and provide better connections for bikes and pedestrians.

"There is going to be a new bridge that's built over Triumph Blvd. and we're also putting in frontage roads," Gleason said.

Those frontage roads are meant to make access to I-15 easier — something drivers in the area have been waiting for.

UDOT officials encourage businesses and motorists to rethink the way they travel by using their TravelWise website, which can help give strategies on how to travel during rush hour by shifting travel times, carpooling, taking transit or teleworking.

Officials hope the end result will provide much-needed relief to commuters, local residents and businesses.

"It's going to be, I think, a welcomed site for everyone," Gleason said.

Construction is expected to last through 2020.

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