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Jed Boal reportingRoad crews are steamrolling into summer construction. If you thought there was a lot of work going on now, just wait!
Reconstruction on I-80 is the most obvious project in Salt Lake County, but other major work is starting up in Parley's Canyon, on I-215 on the east side, and on I-84. Coordinating construction and closures is among the many challenges.
The bridge garden on I-80 is flourishing this spring. Seven bridges are taking shape at 1300 East. In late June, crews will start to move them down the interstate using the Self-Propelled Modular Transports to put them in place. It's the same method they used to replace the bridge over I-215 at 4500 South. Once they set the dates, they'll place seven bridges in seven weeks.
Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) project manager Mark Parry said, "We're trying to be innovative on every project to try to speed up the construction and reduce impacts to the traveling public."
There is another staging area for the I-80 project across from the Olympus Hills Shopping Center at 3900 S. Wasatch Blvd. In just a matter of days, crews assembled a concrete plant. The construction crews will mix the concrete in the batch plant, pour it off into trucks and then truck it down to I-80 where they'll pour it for the project.
"They have to bring in lots of gravel, sand, cement also. They're just getting ready for it now," Parry said.
Paving starts in August and runs through fall of 2009. UDOT says it may get noisy and dusty at times, and trucks may slow traffic.
Project managers do not expect to operate the plant at night unless the temperature is more than 100 degrees during the day, then they will mix concrete at night. Crews will also build a bridge deck for 3300 South at this location.
Up Parley's Canyon, crews will resurface I-80 in both directions and replace the bridge decks at Mountain Dell and Lambs Canyon. There will be two one-day closures in Parley's Canyon in August.
In the valley, traffic will continue as it is now on I-80.
In the next few weeks, UDOT will launch a Web site dedicated to the coordination of these projects.
For more information on construction projects, click on the related link.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
