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SOUTH JORDAN — More relief is on the way for west side commuters. Another portion of the multi-million dollar Mountain View Corridor project is finished and set to open with a small celebration on Saturday.
Conversations about the Mountain View Corridor started more than a decade ago. Growth in Herriman, Riverton and South Jordan outstripped the capacity of the main arteries, so this will be a big "time saver" for tens thousands of people.
Teri Newell started as project manager for the Mountain View Corridor a decade ago.
"It gives them a lot of options to make their way to their destinations," Newell said.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is preparing to open the largest section of the Mountain View Corridor in Salt Lake County. This section will open a nine mile stretch from Old Bingham Highway to 5400 South.
"Tomorrow is a big deal," said Herriman resident, Laurel Price. She moved to Herriman about 12 years ago, and in that time she's seen the city grown from 1,000 residents to more than 20,000. Travel has been limited to two congested arteries, and construction makes has made traffic even worse.
"So, that has been difficult," Price said. "That's probably been one of the biggest growing pains we've had out here as a community."
A two-mile segment of the road opened up in June, and already 9000 cars are using the road each day.
"The cities are encouraging us to open as early as we can, so this next stretch is actually two months earlier than we expected to open," Newell said.
The construction teams are ahead of schedule, and plan to open the road by the end of 2012.
People will also enjoy the new bike lanes and the trail system. There's a radar detection system for cyclists where the corridor starts at Redwood Road. When cyclists pull up and want to take a left turn onto Porter Rockwell Blvd., a new connector for the corridor, the radar detects them and gives motorists the red light, so cyclists don't have to compete with traffic.
Before the end of the year, another six miles will connect to 5400 South. And in two more years, UDOT will receive funding to extend the corridor to 4100 S. Eventually, the Mountain View Corridor will extend to I-80.
The communities are also excited about what this does for business development. Smooth transportation is key to attracting businesses and jobs.
For the latest updates and information, visit udot.utah.gov or download the free "UDOT Traffic" app.
