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SALT LAKE CITY — 'Tis the season to be jolly because road construction is finally winding down for the winter.
Salt Lake City crews are wrapping up most of their work for the winter, for the holiday season, and as colder temperatures make most of the work difficult to complete.
"I know that it can be frustrating to drive through road construction, especially for the nearby residents and businesses who have to tolerate and put up with lengthy construction projects that can really impact their bottom line," said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, standing near Main Street, one of the city's recently repaved roads, Tuesday afternoon. "But this infrastructure improvement is so critical and will have a long-term benefit that we will be stronger as a city."
This year's season ends as crews have reconstructed or sealed nearly one-fourth of the city's major roadways and streets since 2020, according to city officials. The projects, funded by Salt Lake City's Funding Our Future bond passed in 2018, have resulted in more than 17 lane miles in road reconstruction since 2020, and 140 miles in terms of all maintenance every season, according to the city.
Crews also filled 14,503 potholes in Salt Lake City this year, which is actually down from years past. The city typically fills in more than 16,000 potholes but the number is down because of all the current or recently completed road projects over the past two years.
In total, the city's roadway conditions improved by 20%. That's a step in the right direction after a pavement condition survey conducted five years ago found that almost two-thirds of the city's streets were in poor or worse condition, a statistic that prompted the bond.
Salt Lake City transportation director Jon Larsen said the bond challenged the city to "up our game" when it comes to road repairs.
"We are repairing more roads and investing in more complete streets projects than we have ever, ever done before," Mendenhall added, noting that the city also upgraded dozens of bus stops in the city.
Where construction is still ongoing
Construction typically winds down in the winter because weather impacts the ability to continue road work. For example, road paint may not stick long if it's 45 degrees Fahrenheit or colder; asphalt also requires warmer temperatures to avoid cooldowns during the compacting process, according to Larsen. He added that concrete work is possible year-round but takes more time and can be costlier.
Larsen said there's also a moratorium on construction work between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which includes tearing up new parts of any street. This is done to give everyone a break from the construction during the busy holiday season. The city also plans to do something similar around the NBA All-Star Weekend in February so those coming into the city for the festivities won't have to deal with some of the transportation headaches.
Although what the mayor calls the "orange barrel season" is wrapping up this year, there are still some traces of construction commuters may deal with. Those include massive overhauls to 200 South and 300 West, where construction may continue over the winter "weather permitting," Larsen said.
Labor and supply chain issues have impacted the projects since both began. The city's 300 West project, which was slated to be complete this fall when it began, is now expected to be completed by the summer of 2023. Meanwhile, the 200 South project is expected to expand from 200 East to 400 West in downtown Salt Lake City in the spring of 2023 along with other new construction projects.
