This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Road work at night — when traffic is light — can reduce traffic jams, minimize business disruption and improve safety. The trouble is, state highway officials say some counties stubbornly enforce ordinances banning late-night noise anyway.

So the Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to change that through SB177, which now goes to the full Senate. It exempts the Utah Department of Transportation from such noise ordinances, as long as it works with cities and counties to mitigate noise where practical.

"It doesn't give us carte blanche to go out and start working at night," said UDOT Deputy Director Shane Marshall. "We have to make some phone calls. We have to do some coordination before that can happen."

The Utah Association of Counties and the League of Utah Cities and Towns both testified they can live with the proposed change.

Sen. Kevin Van Tassell, R-Vernal, sponsor of the bill, listed some benefits of allowing road work at night.

"It goes on when we're not there. The jobs move faster. They are more economical for UDOT," he said.

"I realize it impacts some sleeping," he added. "But the short-term inconvenience saves us a lot of money and also helps us get the projects done on time and under budget."

He added, "I'm grateful that we have contractors who will work at night, and work in our off-peak hours."

— Lee Davidson