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SALT LAKE CITY — With $2.1 billion in construction projects underway throughout the state, the Utah Department of Transportation has a simple message for drivers: Slow down and pay attention.
"You're going to be safer and workers are going to be safer," said Jason Davis, UDOT deputy director over engineering and operations. "We have workers out there. There’s nothing separating them from your vehicle other than an orange barrel."
Davis said drivers need to be ready for repeated changes in a construction zone, so reducing speed and being attentive is key to getting through what will be a busy season of work on Utah roadways.
The transportation agency released what it's calling a "Top 10" list of its 169 projects on Wednesday, with connecting Mountain View Corridor to state Route 201 in the No. 1 spot.
The $335 million project expected to be completed in summer 2021 links the north-south highway to the existing freeway from 4100 South, an extension that includes four lanes and 13 new bridges.
Work is also being done on another segment of Mountain View Corridor, from Redwood Road to S.R. 73 in Utah County.
The next four projects on the list are along I-15.
The freeway will be widened to four lanes in both directions, adding express lanes between Hill Field Road and Riverdale Road to create an 80-mile stretch of carpool lanes that can be used by solo drivers for a fee, the longest in the country.
The $169 million project is set to start this month and continue through 2020.
Northbound I-15 from 9400 South to I-215 is getting what's known as a collector/distributor ramp system similar to ones from 900 South to 2100 South in Salt Lake City.
Also, a new northbound travel lane will be added from Bangerter Highway to 9400 South as part of the $165 million project. Major construction is scheduled to start later this year, with completion planned for 2020.
Look for lots of work along the I-15 Technology Corridor through Utah's "Silicon Slopes," as the three-year project set to be finished in late 2020 enters its second year.
The $415 million project includes widening the freeway to six lanes in both directions from S.R. 92 to Main Street in Lehi, and reconstructing interchanges at S.R. 92 and 2100 North.
There will also be a new bridge over I-15 at Triumph Boulevard and new one-way frontage roads east and west of the freeway are already open to traffic.
Work continues through 2020 on the $180 million I-15 southbound widening project through Salt Lake County, although crews have completed a new southbound lane from 7800 South to 12300 South.
This year, that new lane will be extended to 2100 South and southbound ramps at the I-15 and I-215 interchange in Murray will be rebuilt, UDOT said, to help reduce delays and move traffic more efficiently between the two freeways.
No. 5 on the UDOT list is U.S. 40 in Wasatch County, where $37 million is being spent to extend the westbound passing lane on the highway by 5 miles near Strawberry Reservoir.
An 18-mile section of U.S. 40 is being repaved between Daniels Summit and Soldier Creek, and a wildlife crossing will be built as part of the $37 million project set to be done in summer 2020.
Next on the list is replacing the S.R. 36 ramp bridge over I-80 and two I-80 bridges over railroad tracks near the S.R. 201 junction in Tooele County. Work started last year on the $37 million project that continues through 2020.
In Washington County, the final segment of S.R. 7 will extend what's known as the Southern Parkway from Sand Hollow to S.R. 9. Once the $75 million project is finished next year, the parkway will run 27 miles from I-15 south of St. George to S.R. 9 near Hurricane.
Another Washington County project is rebuilding the I-15 interchange at S.R. 9, including widening both the freeway and highway as well as the on and off ramps to improve access to the area and Zion National Park.
Work started on the $29 million project in February and it is set for completion this fall.
The final entry on UDOT's list is repairing and replacing bridge joints at several spots on I-80 between State Street and 1300 East. The agency says drivers should plan for delays on nights and weekends because several freeway lanes will be closed.
Work is expected to start later this spring and be done by late summer.
Drivers can get updated information on traffic restrictions during construction projects at udottraffic.utah.gov or by downloading the UDOT Traffic ap or following the agency on social media.
