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Starting in a few months, UDOT will begin construction on a new interchange on Bangerter Highway. It's one of five that are in the pipeline, as the transportation agency works to try to ease some of the strain on this important roadway.
"Our goal is to always keep traffic moving," says UDOT Public Information Officer John Gleason. "That's more important now than ever before with the amount of growth that we've experienced on the west side of the valley. We want to be proactive and really address that growth in the best possible way."
Things have certainly changed along Bangerter Highway since it opened in 1989. Much of the wide open spaces that lined the corridor have given way to houses, apartment complexes, businesses and schools, bringing significant increases in traffic. It's a trend that's going to continue, Gleason says. "We want to stay ahead of all the growth and make sure we're accommodating all of the additional people, businesses, the jobs that will be moving here."
So, UDOT is undertaking a major redo of the intersections along the route. The traffic signals that now regulate cross traffic will be replaced with freeway-style interchanges. Two have already been converted: 7800 South as well as Redwood Road, which was completed last July.
Starting this spring, UDOT will construct a new interchange at 600 West, an area exploding with new growth right now. In 2017, following environmental studies, the intersections at 11400 South, 9000 South, 7000 South and 5400 South will get a facelift — all at the same time.
Traffic volumes at these intersections range anywhere from 55,000 to about 95,000 each day, with growth projections skyrocketing by 2040, according to UDOT.
"More people are on the roads and they're driving faster," said Gleason. "So if we can put in these freeway-style interchanges it makes sense that it's going to improve safety and really improve the flow of traffic."
The price tag for the five upcoming projects is $242 million. And, it won't end there, because there are still 11 more Bangerter intersections that'll be redesigned in the years ahead.
