This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Tooele • The Utah Transportation Commission was briefed Friday on several intriguing new highway and trail projects in various stages of planning or pre-construction, including a major intersection on Bangerter Highway and a planned but unfunded highway Tooele County. It approved several projects.

—

Bangerter Highway • The Utah Department of Transportation told the commission it plans to go to bid in January on a design-build project to convert the intersection of Bangerter and Redwood Road in Riverton to a freeway-like intersection.

UDOT said it will likely be similar to an interchange it built last year on Bangerter that takes that highway over 7800 South in West Jordan, with freeway-like on and off ramps. All other intersections on Bangerter are at-grade and use traffic signals.

UDOT said it hopes that construction will begin next spring, and be completed by the spring of 2015.

—

Tooele • Officials from Tooele County and its cities — along with some developers — took advantage of the Transportation Commission meeting in Tooele to plead for it to find money to begin construction on the approved-but-unfunded Midvalley Highway.

It would be a north-south route — with a new interchange on Interstate 80 — that would parallel SR-36 that now runs from Tooele to Lakepoint Junction. The new highway would run south directly toward the Miller Motorsports Park raceway, and an industrial park on part of the old Tooele Army Depot.

Officials said the current SR-36 is so congested that it takes commuters longer to travel from Tooele to Lakepoint than the much longer distance from there to downtown Salt Lake City. The new road would reduce that drive time, they said, and open up many new areas for development.

"We can't overemphasize the need for the Midvalley Highway," said Tooele County Commissioner Jerry Hurst. The highway received a favorable record of decision from federal authorities two and a half years ago, but funding to build it has not been identified.

—

Bear Lake • The commission approved $100,000 for a new beachhead parking lot on Bear Lake. Commissioner Kent Millington said it is likely the first of many to come, and will help reduce what has been dangerous highway parking by people using the lake.

—

Bryce Canyon • The commission approved spending $480,000 — to be matched by $143,300 from Garfield County — for a bike trail along scenic SR-12 from Red Canyon to the junction of SR-63, where it heads south to Bryce Canyon National Park.

—

Cedar City • The commission heard final plans for a $10.4 million project to revamp the southern Interstate 15 intersection in Cedar City, including approving a 1 percent loan to Cedar City for $722,000 to help it cover its share of the costs.

The project will realign Cross Hollow Road and add a newfangled "diverging diamond" interchange there — where cars temporarily travel on the "wrong" left-hand side of the road to eliminate left-turn signals and help speed traffic.

Similar intersections were completed recently on SR-201 and Bangerter Highway, and at American Fork on I-15.

The project will also construct a new northbound off ramp and southbound on ramp.