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Labor Day weekend traffic: Expect half-hour delays leaving town today on I-15, up to one-hour delays on Friday

Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune The express lanes on Interstate 15 might be free Thursday, July 12, 2018, but beginning Saturday, the Utah Department of Transportation is doubling the lanes maximum toll for drivers who buy access for single-occupant vehicles.

  | Aug. 30, 2018, 5:02 p.m.
| Updated: Aug. 31, 2018, 2:11 a.m.

Officials warn that Labor Day weekend travel will be complicated by heavy traffic by vacationers leaving town, some ongoing road projects and FrontRunner shutting down half its line for testing on Saturday, and replacing trains with buses.

The Utah Department of Transportation warns that up to an extra hour may be needed to travel along Interstate 15 through Salt Lake and Utah counties on Friday between 2 and 8:30 p.m. because of holiday travelers headed out of town. The heaviest delays are expected about 5 p.m.

Also because of return trips, UDOT predicted heavy northbound I-15 traffic on Monday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

UDOT said it will suspend construction on projects statewide from Friday through Monday and open all lanes to traffic to help reduce congestion, however, some lane restrictions will remain in place to protect work zones.

Some areas where drivers should expect restrictions include:

I-15 Technology Corridor • On I-15 in Lehi, the northbound lanes are split from 2100 North to State Road 92, and the speed limit is reduced. Drivers should expect areas of rough or uneven pavement.

Interstate 70 bridge maintenance in Sevier County • I-70 is reduced to one lane in each direction in sections from the Sevier/Millard county line to the junction with U.S. 89. All traffic has been shifted to the westbound lanes, and the speed limit has been reduced.

Updated information on construction areas and other traffic conditions is available online at udottraffic.utah.gov or on the UDOT Traffic app for smartphones.

Meanwhile, the Utah Transit Authority is suspending its FrontRunner commuter rail service on Saturday between Ogden and the North Temple station in Salt Lake City to test a new control system mandated by the federal government to prevent trains from running past stop signals to help prevent collisions.

FrontRunner will still operate between Provo and Salt Lake City on Saturday.

For the northern portion of the system, UTA will offer bus and van service to replace train service for the day. They will operate on roughly the same schedule as trains, and leave from FrontRunner stations. UTA officials will be on hand to direct and help passengers. UTA will also charge cheaper bus fares for the service.

On Sunday, all UTA bus and train service will return to normal Sunday schedules.

On Monday, the Labor Day holiday, UTA buses, FrontRunner and paratransit service will run on Saturday schedules. TRAX and the S-Line streetcar will run on Sunday schedules. The Park City-Salt Lake City Connect service will not operate that day.

More information about UTA holiday weekend service is available at rideuta.com.