Bridge demolition underway on I-215 as UDOT project reaches 60% completion

SALT LAKE CITY — Drivers on I-215 are seeing major changes as crews demolish aging bridge decks and improve pavement as part of a project to upgrade on the west side of the freeway.

The project is about 60% complete, according to Utah Department of Transportation Commissioner Carlos Braceras. Crews are replacing deteriorating bridge decks and resurfacing the freeway to improve its durability and extend its lifespan.

Braceras said years of exposure to water, road salt and repeated freeze-thaw cycles have damaged the existing bridges and pavement.

"Over time, the water and salt we use to melt the snow gets down into the steel," Braceras said, "and as the freeze-thaw happens, it pops the concrete. If you've driven this section, there were tons of potholes we've been patching for years."

As part of the project, crews are applying a new sealing material to help prevent water from penetrating the bridge decks. They are also breaking up the existing concrete pavement before covering it with a new asphalt surface.

"We're going to seal them with a new material that's going to hopefully keep the water out of the bridges for a longer period of time," Braceras said. "We're also redoing the pavement … and so we're rubblizing that concrete pavement and then we will overlay it with an asphalt mix."

Rubblization, as Braceras mentioned it, is the process of fracturing the old concrete into pieces typically 2 to 6 inches in size. The smashed pieces are then converted into an "interlocked or flexible base material," according to Asphalt Magazine.

UDOT is also using a new asphalt mix that allows crews to pave in one thicker layer rather than two, cutting paving time in half.

The project involves about two years of construction along this stretch of I-215. UDOT expects the I-215 project to be completed in summer 2027. Until then, Braceras said, drivers should expect construction activity to continue and plan their commutes ahead of time.

Contributing: Mary Culbertson

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