To help residents, commuters and vacationers figure out how to navigate the I-15 New Ogden Weber expansion project, the Utah Department of Transportation will hold an open house Wednesday in Ogden.
In the meantime, travelers need to remain flexible and alert to changing conditions, said UDOT project director Brent DeYoung, because construction will be even more intense than last summer.
The project, nicknamed I-15 NOW, will rebuild and widen nine miles of the interstate between I-84 in Riverdale and 2700 North in Farr West. Construction is expected to wrap up by fall 2008.
The project will relieve traffic congestion resulting from a chokepoint that starts at the Ogden 31st Street interchange northward. Weber County growth has overcome I-15's capacity and its interchanges.
Crews are working in the median now to overhaul six interchanges and replace 26 bridges, DeYoung said. Last summer crews worked the edges of the freeway. In the coming weeks, traffic will be rerouted to the new lanes in the median.
Speeding motorists have caused problems, including fender-benders and near-collisions with UDOT workers.
"Our workers are exposed to traffic in quite a few locations," DeYoung said. "We've had some close calls with vehicles coming into the work site. It's a scary place to work."
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Preston Raban said officers in marked cars will work overtime in the work zones.
"One thing we have learned is just our mere presence with a marked car, people put on the brakes," he said. "When we're not there, people are going to drive faster than they should."
Speeding fines can be doubled for driving faster than 55 miles per hour in construction zones, he said.
to know more
Information about construction on the I-15 NOW project in Weber County is available toll free at 1-888-415-6690 (888-415-6690) or online at www.udot.utah.gov /i15NOW. Travelers also can hear updated traffic reports by tuning into Highway Advisory Radio at 1300 AM or 1530 AM.
Road closures planned near U.S. 6, parts of SR 201, 202
Upcoming road closures include stretches near U.S. 6 and sections of SR 201 and SR 202. Indian Creek/Unicorn Ridge Road, located seven miles up Sheep Creek Road on U.S. 6, will close this week and stay closed through the summer for road work. The road will be open on weekends. Kennecott Utah will remove old mining equipment on Mother's Day weekend, closing SR 201 in Tooele and SR 202 near 8400 West. Utah Department of Transportation spokesman Nile Easton said the closures that began Friday will continue through 6 a.m. Monday.
