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SALT LAKE CITY — Becky Stromness strolls across the concrete of a new bridge in Sugar House Friday morning, pointing to various aspects of what makes it different from the old one on 1300 East, over I-80, that it's ready to replace.
There's a sidewalk on its west end, a wide and smooth surface area for motor vehicles and a 17-foot-wide pathway on the eastern edge of the 175-foot-long and 172-foot-wide structure.
"That's going to be a big trail for bikes, (scooters), strollers, walkers, joggers and hikers," Stromness, a project manager for the Utah Department of Transportation, said. "This is just going to be a huge improvement for the city."
This bridge has actually been ready to use for about a month now; however, winter got in the way. UDOT waited weeks for warmer, drier conditions so they can move ahead with the project. They're now ready to move the new bridge into its permanent home.
But the agency warns that it will have to close both directions of I-80 between 700 East and Foothill Drive to make the replacement happen. The closure begins at 8 p.m. Friday and is scheduled to remain in place through 5 a.m. Monday.
Crews will tear down the old bridge, originally constructed in the 1960s, and use hydraulic jacks to slide the new bridge into place during the closure. It's the same accelerated bridge construction Utah has used in recent years to avoid long-term closures on major roadways, including other parts of I-80 in Salt Lake City.
Drivers are encouraged to use the I-215 beltway as an alternative and plan for delays this weekend.
ROAD CLOSURE❗️ Our I-80 & I-215 Renewed project team will close 1300 E over I-80 in SLC TONIGHT (4/13) through Friday morning (4/21) while they replace the 1300 E bridge over I-80. Use 700 E as an alt route. Visit https://t.co/h12MEqy6Qe for info. pic.twitter.com/kYjY2nCb5M
— UDOT Region Two (@UDOTRegionTwo) April 13, 2023
The major road that crosses the highway, 1300 East, closed Thursday night and will remain closed until the early morning of April 21. Drivers are encouraged to use 700 East as an alternative route between 2100 South and 3300 South.
This is the largest remaining bridge project of the I-80 and I-215 Renewed Project that began in 2021, Stromness said. Crews began placing the girders for it in November and worked to build it alongside the old bridge over the past few months.
She explained that the team had to wait for warmer weather so they could use asphalt to "tie" the bridge to the road on either side, and it has been too cold for that to happen.
Once the bridge is completed, crews will turn their attention to other areas of the overall project. That includes work on the westbound lanes of I-80 and northbound I-215, as well as adjustments to bridges at 2000 East and 2300 East. Stromness said the project is now about two-thirds complete and is on target to be finished by the end of the year.
The entire project cost $146.5 million before construction began, but there have been "some cost overruns" associated with the delays it faced, such as COVID-19, supply chain issues, labor shortages and now weather impacts, she added. It's not clear how much over budget the project will end up in the end.
Stromness is excited, though, that UDOT has cleared most of those hurdles and workers are close to the end.
"It's really exciting, especially with a project of this magnitude," she said, as crews working use large machinery to dismantle the surface of the old bridge behind her. "It should help improve the ride. The old roadway ... was a really rough ride, so that's going to be a great benefit to the public."
I-15 in Davis County
Meanwhile, UDOT also plans to have some overnight closures on I-15 in northern Utah over the weekend, as the agency also works to complete the West Davis Highway in Davis County.
Northbound I-15 will close from Parrish Lane in Centerville to Park Lane in Farmington at 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and reopen at 7:30 a.m on Saturday, 9 a.m. on Sunday and 5 a.m. on Monday. Crews will work this weekend to place the beams needed for a new bridge to connect I-15 and the new freeway.
Drivers are encouraged to use Legacy Parkway as a detour during the closure and to expect some delays.
This weekend is the latest in several similar closures over the past few months. Officials said last month that the entire 16-mile project is now over 70% complete. It's expected to open in 2024.
Correction: A previous version said 1300 South closed on Thursday and both directions of I-15 in Davis County would be closed this weekend. It's 1300 East that closed Thursday, and the Davis County closure affects only northbound I-15.
