The Utah Department of Transportation has scrapped its plans to add an extra lane to Interstate 15 in the heart of Utah’s capital.
“All of the reconstruction from 600 North in Salt Lake,” I-15 reconstruction project director Mike Romero said Wednesday, “to about 400 South in Salt Lake has been removed from the project.”
UDOT made the change, Romero said, because that part of the mainline freeway doesn’t need the reconstruction and widening as much as northern portions of the road. The full project is now aiming to reconstruct the roadway and widen it to five general lanes, one HOV lane and, in most sections, an auxiliary lane for on- and off-ramps from 600 North in Salt Lake City to Farmington.
Transportation officials are also examining adding another lane in each direction to Legacy Parkway to help carry north-south traffic during construction on I-15 and to meet demands from future population growth.
Several research studies show adding more lanes doesn’t reduce traffic in the long run as travelers make more trips, longer trips and use their cars more frequently. UDOT officials have said they are also pursuing capacity improvements for FrontRunner commuter rail and better bus service in the north-south corridor.
The planned I-15 construction has long drawn criticism from opponents on the grounds that it would worsen air pollution, reinforce the east-west divide and slate some homes for demolition.
The project’s reduction in scope would keep at least 14 homes — mostly on Argyle Court and Edmonds Place between 300 North and 400 North in Salt Lake City — where they are. Another two dwellings won’t have to deal with any partial acquisitions of property by UDOT either.
In total, the agency’s scaled-back plans now mean it will have to acquire fewer than 400 full or partial properties to carry out the construction, including a historic home in Farmington and at least 19 businesses.
The project still includes a redo of the 600 North overpass to make it friendlier for active transportation users trying to get across the freeway and the train tracks. Romero said some minor work will tie the expanded roadway to the existing section just south of the overpass.
The reduction in scope has also garnered a rare budget reduction. The final environmental study for the widening called for $3.7 billion; instead the budget now sits a shade under $3 billion. The Utah Transportation Commission formally signed off on the funding at its June meeting.
Romero confirmed the department was also examining adding a lane in each direction to Legacy Parkway to provide some traffic relief while I-15 construction is underway. Redirecting some cars there will open up more space for construction on the mainline freeway, he said, and help it run more efficiently.
Widening Legacy has been a priority of the department anyway. It is included in the Wasatch Front Regional Transportation Plan.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) UDOT hopes to add lanes to Legacy Parkway.
“While it is a benefit to I-15,” Romero said, “there is a need for that work, regardless of I-15.”
The parkway, which runs alongside preserved Great Salt Lake wetlands, was a topic of fierce battles during its development. A court settlement ultimately limited the road to four total lanes, a maximum speed of 55 mph and generally prohibited semitrucks.
The settlement expired five years ago. Now, big rigs can use the road and the speed limit is 65 mph.
“I’m not surprised,” Friends of Great Salt Lake Executive Director Lynn de Freitas said of the proposed widening. “But I’m extremely disappointed that that would be something that people would continue to accept.”
She also shared concerns that more traffic on Legacy would result in more noise and pollution affecting the humans and birds that live nearby.
“No matter how many lanes you add, induced automobile traffic is filling those,” Roger Borgenicht, co-chair of Utahns for Better Transportation, said. “It’s a never-ending process and not a long-term solution. A long-term solution is real transportation choices, and that’s what FrontRunner certainly gave us as a backbone for the Wasatch Front.”
Romero said the Legacy proposal would have to go through a state environmental study and UDOT’s usual planning process before it’s finalized.
As for mainline I-15 construction, the department is readying a request for proposals now, will likely choose a main contractor by fall next year and the project is set to start construction in late spring or early summer 2027.