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NORTH OGDEN — The five miles of the steep and winding North Ogden Divide were shut down Monday so crews could get to work on safety improvements. It will take about a month to complete the work on what some consider to be a dangerous canyon road.
A lot of people send their kids to Weber High School through that road. It is the quickest route between Liberty and North Ogden.
"I did not like driving it at all. I would try to drive it the least amount possible," said Hannah Dean.
She understands why the improvements are needed. She called the North Ogden Divide intimidating and scary.
"I was already super-nervous about it, so I was going the speed limit," she said.
In December of 2020, Dean reluctantly drove the divide to see family when she hit a mound of snow.
"And I hit the one corner that was kind of sharp, and I ended up going off and it was really scary. I never thought something like that would happen to me," said Dean.
It was a 600-foot drop that totaled her car. She walked away without a scratch.
"I was just amazed that I was still alive. I was (thinking), 'How did I survive this?' I was just lucky I had my seat belt on and all my airbags deployed," she said.
People have been concerned about the divide for years. It became a priority to address the safety concerns because more people started to drive it as Weber County experienced rapid growth.
"Our engineers felt we really needed to put this on a priority list," said Weber County Commissioner Gage Froerer. "It's actually been looked at probably for the last five or six years."
Crews will add a new 2-inch-thick surface. New and higher guardrails are also planned.
"I was super happy and relieved to hear about the improvements," Dean said. She would like to see more guardrails. "I mean, I know it is expensive, but how do you put a price on saving someone's life?"
The work is scheduled to be finished around July 1.
About two years ago, workers finished a $2.6 million project to fix drainage issues and reduce erosion along the road.
