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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Department of Transportation is revealing its plans to install median barriers in Parley's Canyon where a Unified firefighter died last weekend.
UDOT says the project was in the works before this fatal accident happened and is slated to start the summer of 2011.
After the accident that claimed the life of Bruce McGowan Sept. 12, KSL received many calls and e-mails from concerned drivers wondering why there wasn't a barrier in that spot on Interstate 80 near Lambs Canyon Rd..
McGowan's death impacted a lot of people.
I-80 barrier projects
| Section # | Route | From Milepost* | To Milepost* | Length (ft) | Barrier Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-80 | 136.45 | 137.33 | 4646.4 | Cable |
| 2 | I-80 | 136.18** | 136.45** | 1425.6 | Precast Concrete |
| 3 | I-80 | 138.64 | 138.799 | 839.52 | Cable |
| 4 | I-80 | 147 | 148 | 5280 | Cable |
| 5 | I-80 | 155 | 156.5 | 7920 | Cable |
| 6 | I-80 | 167.45 | 167.68 | 1214.4 | Cable |
| 7 | I-80 | 167.95 | 168.72 | 4065.6 | Cable |
| 8 | I-80 | 170.6 | 176.2 | 29568 | Cable |
| 9 | I-80 | 177.5 | 179.5 | 10560 | Cable |
| 10 | I-80 | 185.2 | 187.63 | 12830.4 | Cable |
| 11 | I-80 | 191.4 | 195.43 | 21278.4 | Cable |
| 12 | I-80 | 179.5 | 185.2 | 30096 | Cable |
"He again is one of those individuals who would do anything for anybody, whether he knows you or not," said Bat. Chief Clint Smith with the Unified Fire Authority.
On Saturday night, McGowan was driving home to Midway on I-80 when another car crossed the median and hit him head on.
McGowan died on scene.
According to UDOT, starting next summer Parley's Canyon will be much safer.
"Our goal is zero fatalities across the state, and this is one of the ways in which we are trying to achieve that goal," said Adan Carrillo with UDOT. "We take it very seriously every time there's an accident, more so when there's a fatality."
UDOT is well aware that I-80 near Parley's Summit does not have a barrier separating the eastbound and westbound lanes.
In fact, the accident-related death of a 3-year-old in 2007 led UDOT to install some barriers throughout the canyon -- but not where McGowan died.
"Within the last year or so we've had a few now, and it's very concerning to us. We're looking into it," Carrillo said.
Since January 2009, the Utah Highway Patrol recorded one other crossover fatality in May of this year.
UDOT has plans and funds in place to install 12 stretches of barriers from Lamb's Canyon to the Wyoming border. The first three stretches would be closest to where McGowan died: from Lamb's Canyon to Parley's Summit.
All of the barriers are cable, except for one that's concrete. One type of barrier isn't necessarily safer than the other, but the shape of the road determines which building material is used.
UDOT says right now its priority is I-80 near Wendover.
"It's one of the straightest sections of roads in the country, and yet we experience a lot of crossovers," Carrillo said.
UDOT has 11 barrier projects starting next week from Wendover to Tooele. Those are supposed to be done by December.
The beginning and end points of each Parley's barrier are still preliminary at this point. UDOT will evaluate the placement once they study the area more thoroughly.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com
