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DAVIS COUNTY -- A crumbling bridge prompted some lane restrictions along I-15 in Davis County Tuesday morning.
UDOT crews bolstered the 500 South overpass until they can make a more permanent fix.
Crews spent all night making temporary repairs to the bridge because of "spalling," or flaking in the concrete. Monday a motorist reported seeing chunks fall from the bridge.
When UDOT inspected it, they found that over time the elements have caused the concrete around the steel to break down.
UDOT spokesman Nile Easton said, "What we have is, during the freeze-thaw cycle, meaning we've had all of that rain, it comes in, it freezes up at night. It can cause cracking in the concrete. (It's) the same process that causes pot holes and, in this case, it is causing the concrete around the steel to actually start to crack apart and fall down."
UDOT emphasizes that spalling does not weaken the structural integrity of the bridge itself. It says the bridge, which was built in the 1960s, is sound and the steel inside the bridge is sound. But the bridge will need more permanent repairs, which will be done this weekend.
Those repairs will start Friday at 8 p.m. Two lanes of northbound traffic will be closed May 1-4. The repairs are expected to be finished and ready for Monday morning's commute.
Weekend traffic detours associated with these restrictions will be as follows:
- Eastbound traffic on 500 South will either be diverted along 800 West in West Bountiful to 400 North, where it will continue eastbound to US 89, or on to southbound I-15 via the southbound on-ramp.
- Westbound 500 South traffic should detour on to U.S. 89, or to northbound I-15 via the northbound on-ramp.
- Southbound traffic on I-15 intended for eastbound 500 South should use the US 89 exit (exit 317).
- Westbound traffic on 500 South from southbound I-15 will be unaffected by this closure.
During these lane reductions and closures the Legacy Parkway restriction on trucks may also be lifted. E-mail: spark@ksl.com
