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I-15 to close Saturday night in Orem for construction on state’s longest pedestrian bridge

  | Aug. 20, 2020, 6:59 p.m.
| Updated: 8:38 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) UDOT gives a tour of the state’s new longest pedestrian bridge on Thursday, August 20, 2020, connecting Utah Valley University in Orem to student housing and the community on the West side of I-15. Crews are finishing up an extensive hydronic heating system that will pump warm water to keep the bridge clear of snow in the winters, as it gets ready to pour concrete for the walking surface. UDOT will close I-15 in both directions this weekend for work on the nearly 1,000 foot bridge that is 15 feet wide to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and scooters. Elevators and stairs with small ramps to push up bicycles will be on each side of the bridge.

To allow work on what will soon be Utah’s longest pedestrian bridge, Interstate 15 will close in both directions in Orem from Saturday at 10:30 p.m. to Sunday at 10 a.m.

It will close between University Parkway and 800 North, and traffic will be detoured onto local roads during that time. The Utah Department of Transportation expects significant traffic delays during that time.

The closure will allow pouring concrete for the walking surface of a 1,000 foot-long pedestrian bridge between the Utah Transit Authority’s Orem FrontRunner station and the Utah Valley University campus.

The bridge will span not only I-15 but also College Drive and railroad tracks for both Union Pacific and FrontRunner. Between 5,000 and 6,000 students are expected to use the bridge daily once it opens early next year.

The Utah Department of Transportation says more than 50 truckloads of concrete will be used Saturday night — enough to build a 6-foot-wide sidewalk nearly a mile and a half long (approximately 525 cubic yards).

Once complete, the bridge will weigh more than 5 million pounds, have a 15-foot-wide walking surface, and cross approximately 23 feet above the freeway.

UDOT says the Utah Valley University Pedestrian Bridge is one of the most significant nonvehicle investments UDOT has ever made, and represents a collaborative effort between UDOT, UVU, and UTA.