This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An unusual new redesign of the Interstate 15 interchange at 2600 South in Woods Cross is scheduled to open Saturday.
Westbound traffic on 2600 South intending to turn southbound onto I-15 will now queue up on the left side of the road a little earlier before it reaches the freeway.
When allowed by a signal, those motorists will cross in front of the oncoming traffic into a special far-left lane and travel beneath the freeway bridges before turning onto the I-15 entrance ramp without any additional stops.
"By allowing this movement to cross over earlier, motorists only stop one time and then have free access to the southbound on-ramp," said Utah Department of Transportation Project Manager Nathan Peterson. "Although other parts of the interchange may have to stop twice, this actually frees up more signal time at those other movements, making traffic move better at all parts of the interchange."
An animation showing how the intersection will work is available online at goo.gl/SC7LgJ.
The design is a modification of a "continuous-flow intersection," a design used extensively on Bangerter Highway in west Salt Lake County.
The modification is part of a larger project adding express lanes and replacing old bridges on I-15 in south Davis County.
While the newly redesigned interchange is scheduled to open Saturday, UDOT said it plans to close 2600 South at the interchange July 22 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to complete some final paving there.
Lee Davidson —
Video explainer
O View a video animation of how the new Woods Cross intersection will work at goo.gl/SC7LgJ.