Bangerter Highway is getting closer to becoming a freeway for Salt Lake County’s west side

The Utah Department of Transportation opened 4700 South at Bangerter Highway to east-west traffic on Friday, marking a “big milestone” in its effort to transform Bangerter into a freeway, officials announced.

Robert Stewart, region two director for UDOT, said in a news release that reopening the east-west connection, which had been under construction for about a year, will improve traffic and make travel easier for everyone moving through the area.

“We’re keeping the momentum going on this project, and getting closer and closer to the finish line every day,” Stewart said.

The project is part of UDOT’s long-term effort to remove stoplights along Bangerter Highway and enhance mobility throughout the western Salt Lake Valley, officials said.

The agency closed east-west travel on 4700 South on July 12, 2024, as it launched the project to turn what was previously a four-way stop with traffic lights into a freeway-style interchange.

Work to convert intersections along Bangerter Highway into freeway-style interchanges at 4700 South in Taylorsville and West Valley City, 9800 South in South Jordan, 13400 South in Riverton and 2700 West in Bluffdale is expected to wrap up by late 2025, according to UDOT officials.

Crews will begin pouring concrete for the 13400 South bridge deck next week, and traffic will flow underneath the new bridge by the end of the month, officials said.

By the end of August, traffic is expected to move under the new 9800 South bridge and on top of the 2700 West bridge, officials said.

Eventually, UDOT plans to convert all of the interchanges up to California Avenue in Salt Lake City, the agency said.

Bangerter Highway is one of Salt Lake County’s busiest north-south routes, carrying an average of 60,000 vehicles per day.