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What's been happening on Interstate 80 in recent weeks is really quite remarkable and deserving of commendation.
In a period of just a couple of months, engineers, contractors and workers under direction of the Utah Department of Transportation have replaced 12 deteriorating bridges with very minimal disruption of traffic flow.
In a word, wow!
Dubbed "Innovate 80," the Accelerated Bridge Construction approach has been touted as the most ambitious project of its kind in the world.
Think about it - if they'd constructed the bridges in the traditional way, it would have taken years. Imagine how that would have frustrated commuters and other interstate users. Instead they built the new bridges adjacent to the freeway, and then almost magically rolled them into place, which required minimal, mostly overnight road closures. Besides time, they also say they saved taxpayers millions of dollars.
On this Labor Day holiday that traditionally honors the nation's workers, KSL singles out those who conceived the Innovate 80 project and had the vision to pull it off. Especially we recognize those who spent the summer building and moving the 12 bridges.
Let's hope similar efforts at innovation can be made whenever road construction projects are undertaken that have the potential to disrupt the routines of anxious motorists.
