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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah transportation crews are getting ready to complete an interesting swap.
They are about to replace an aging bridge on 1700 East that crosses Interstate 80 in Sugar House with a new one they've constructed over the past few months. But the process won't come without headaches for drivers.
Utah Department of Transportation officials say I-80 will be closed in both directions between 700 East and Foothill Drive until the new bridge is locked into place. The closure will begin at 9 p.m. Friday and is expected to remain in place until about 1 p.m. Sunday.
"It is impactful for (this) weekend. There's a lot of people we want to get the word out to," said John Gleason, UDOT's spokesman. "If they're traveling and this is one of their main routes, they have to choose another route this weekend."
The large stretch of closure from 700 East to Foothill Drive just for a bridge on 1700 East has to do with efficiency. UDOT recommends drivers use I-215 and I-15 as alternatives to I-80 until the closure is lifted.
Due to a bridge replacement, Parley's Trail will be closed one block around 1700 East Friday evening thru Sunday afternoon. Plan your trail use accordingly and be safe!
— SLCO Parks & Rec (@SLCOParksandRec) April 7, 2022
The outgoing bridge dates back to the 1960s and, as of recently, plays a vital role in connecting Sugar House Park with Tanner Park through the Parleys Trail that runs adjacent to I-80 between the two parks. However, with its age, crews determined it needed to be replaced.
The new bridge will be smoother for drivers and feature a new 14-foot-wide path on the west side for people on the trail, as well as a new sidewalk and bike lane on the east side of it. Crews began working on it late last year and it's now ready to be installed.
When the traffic comes to a halt Friday night, crews will knock down the old bridge. It's an interesting process to move and lock the new bridge into place afterward.
"We put slide shoes on it, and those sit on some Teflon low-friction pads, and then we actually use liquid dish soap to lubricate and make them slippery," said UDOT project manager Becky Stromness. "Then we use hydraulic jacks to push or slide the new bridge into where the old one was."
All of this takes about 24 hours; however, Stromness said the near 2-day closure allows for contingency time in case something goes wrong. If everything runs smoothly, it's possible the freeway will open earlier than 1 p.m. Sunday.
The closure may create problems for drivers this weekend, but Gleason contends that it beats the alternative. Before UDOT began adopting the idea of building a new bridge alongside the one it will replace, they'd have to close down lanes and routes for months at a time while they demolish and replace an aging bridge.
"Now we can demolish the old bridge, slide the new bridge into place and do that all in the period of a weekend, which is pretty incredible," he said. "Years ago, that would have taken much more time."
All of the construction is a part of the massive undertaking to improve I-80 and the I-215 east belt near Parleys Canyon and the Wasatch Mountains that began last year. Replacing the 1700 East bridge is one of the components of the I-80 and I-215 Renewed project, which also calls for the reconstruction of bridges at 1300 East, 2000 East, as well as widening of a bridge at 2300 East. It also set out to repair the pavement in some stretches of the freeways.
Once the bridge on 1700 East is complete, crews will focus on 1300 East. The bridge there will be replaced in a similar fashion; crews will build the new bridge to the east of it this spring and summer before it will be snapped into place this fall, Stromness said.
While the entire project was originally estimated to be completed by the end of 2022, it's now on schedule to be completed by the end of 2023. The delay is a result of COVID-19, as well as supply chain and labor shortages.
Construction at major Orem intersection
Meanwhile, UDOT and the Orem officials are warning drivers to plan ahead for travel delays tied to construction at the intersection of University Parkway and State Street. Crews are scheduled to repair a damaged water line underneath the roadway.
Eastbound University Parkway and northbound State Street will be reduced to one lane, and the left turn lanes from southbound State Street to University Parkway will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The closure is scheduled to remain in place through 6 a.m. Monday, barring weather, equipment issues or materials availability, city officials said.
