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WEST JORDAN — The Utah Department of Transportation is upgrading Bangerter Highway to handle the demands of a booming population on the west side of the Salt Lake valley. A major road closure on 7000 South starts Monday that will impact thousands of motorists.
“If you’re used to driving this area, we want to make sure that nobody is taken by surprise,” said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. “You are going to have to make some adjustments to your daily commute.”
People who regularly travel 7000 South should plan a different route for the next two months. Work crews need to finish off the infrastructure underneath a bridge deck, as UDOT rebuilds Bangerter for a better ride.
This coming Monday, UDOT will close east and west traffic on 7000 South at Bangerter Highway through early May. Northbound and southbound Bangerter and right turns at 7000 South will remain open. UDOT recommends taking 7800 South as an alternate.
“The hope here is that that’s going to improve safety and traffic flow,” Gleason said.
UDOT is currently rebuilding four intersections into freeway interchanges on Bangerter Highway to handle more than 64,000 motorists who drive the west side highway every day.
“You are going to see, one by one, these intersections turning into freeway-style interchanges,” Gleason said.
Crews will work all summer at 5400 South, 7000 South, 9000 South and 11400 South with plans to complete each of those interchanges before the end of the year.
“There are really not many roads as important to the west side of the valley as Bangerter Highway,” Gleason said. “We have an eye to the future.”
UDOT has already completed new interchanges on Bangerter Highway at 600 West and Redwood Road. They’re urging all motorists to stay alert and watch for changing conditions and road patterns. There have been several serious crashes at 11400 South and Bangerter recently during construction.
Despite all of the traffic delays that come with this construction, UDOT has been able to do all of the work so far with few closures on Bangerter Highway.
