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LAYTON — The wait is over in Davis County. The Utah Department of Transportation marked the completion of the U.S. 89 project Friday with a celebration in Layton.
For over 20 years, this project has been in the works.
UDOT officials said there were challenges along the way, including this past season's snowfall. But between the public's input and hard work, they said the wait was worth it.
"Highway 89 has always been a challenge," said Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton.
In this project, there are roughly 12 miles of new, opened roads that keep not only drivers and motorists in mind but also pedestrians, cyclists and transit.
"We've put four new interchanges. We've taken out five stoplights. We have six crossings that are grade separated, so people can walk across," said Rob White, director of UDOT Region One.
White said UDOT is installing three pedestrian tunnels, so trails can be connected back and forth across the east and west side of U.S. 89.
It is all about efficiency.
"We've added a third lane, so the speeds should increase. People should not see the delays from the traffic lights," White said.
White said the construction project comes with a dollar sign between $300 million and $400 million.
In a state that's growing fast, this project completion is a game changer.
"I can also remember Utah when it was a million people in the '70s. We're 3.3 million today," Adams said.
This project, even if it is just five minutes, saves time one cannot get back.
"That's 10 minutes a day. That's 50 minutes a week. I mean, it's really hard to imagine from this spot where we're standing right now to Snowbasin — 20 minutes. From this spot to downtown — 20 minutes," Adams said.
Adams said this is not the end of infrastructure projects. He said during the last legislative session, $2 billion was allocated to go to other projects in the state.
