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SALT LAKE CITY -- The summer road construction season is about to kick into high gear. The Utah Department of Transportation says this will be the biggest construction season the state has ever had.
UDOT says by the time the season ends in mid-October, there will have been more than 280 projects with a price tag of $2 billion.
The state is receiving $213 million from the federal stimulus legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Utah Legislature also approved two bills that will provide $2.2 billion in bonding for state transportation projects over the next four years.
Rich Thom of Associated General Contractors of Utah said, "We have had the good fortune of having some legislative and executive branch leadership on the state level that has seen fit to help us move forward as a state and provided us with funding to go out and build the type of projects you are seeing today."
UDOT estimated that about 70,000 people will have been employed as a result of the summer construction. It is asking drivers to slow down in construction zones and be aware of the surroundings.
"These people are your brothers; they're your sisters, your parents. We want to make sure that at the end of the day they get home safe and sound," Thom said.
The first major summer construction projects begin this weekend in Salt Lake, Utah and Davis counties.
I-15 and I-215 weekend closures, April 30-May 4
Four nighttime interstate closures will occur over the weekend beginning Thursday, April 30. Closures this weekend include the following:
I-15, near American Fork Main Street April 30-May 3
- Thursday, April 30, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. - Outside lanes and shoulders closed
- Friday, May 1, 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. - Northbound I-15 closed
- Saturday, May 2, 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. - Southbound I-15 closed
- Sunday, May 3 through July, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. - HOV and left passing lanes closed
Alternate Routes - During closures use off-and on-ramps at American Fork Main Street Access American Fork area at 500 East; access Lehi and Saratoga Springs at Lehi Main Street Result - Rumble strips removed and restriping for work to continue on the new interchange
I-15, Springville under state Route 77 (400 S.) Interchange May 1-May 2
- Friday, May 1, 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. - Southbound I-15 closed
- Saturday, May 2, 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. - Northbound I-15 closed
Detour - Interchange on-and off-ramps
Result - Expanding and improving the road and creating a new interchange
I-15, 500 South in Bountiful May 1-May 4
- Friday, May 1,11 p.m. through Monday, May 4 morning - 500 S. under bridge closed
- Friday, May 1, 8 p.m. through Monday morning - two lanes on I-15 over bridge closed
Result - Bridge repairs I-215 West, 3500 South to S.R. 201 May 1-May 4
- Friday, May 1, 9 p.m. through Monday, May 4, 5 a.m. - two-lane closure in each direction; and 3500 S. I-215 northbound on-ramp closed
- Saturday, May 2, 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. - full freeway closure
Alternate Routes - S.R. 201 to Redwood Road (or visa versa), I-15, Bangerter Highway Result - Bridge girders installed over 3100 S. for UTA's West Valley Light Rail TRAX line; Bridge resurfacing at 3800 S.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
