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Started by andy3175, May 20, 2017, 04:32:34 PM

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Kniwt

The new George Washington Blvd. interchange with SR 7 (Exit 12) has opened.
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2024/08/12/sdw-moving-traffic-keeping-up-with-growth-new-southern-parkway-interchange-gives-drivers-bypass-option/

QuoteTraveling between the eastern and western portions of Washington County has become smoother with the completion of the interchange at Southern Parkway and George Washington Boulevard.

Jordan Hess, a spokesman for Washington City, told St. George News the project was years in the making. The interchange will make it easier to access the Washington Fields, Sand Hollow and Hurricane areas via the parkway, also known as state Route 7.

Hess said the project was initially estimated to cost about $8 million. However, with inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic, the price tag was closer to $13 million. So the city of Washington went to the Utah Legislature and asked for an appropriation, and lawmakers responded with $2.5 million to help cover the price increase.
Quote


The Ghostbuster

Exit 12 on UT 7 is not shown on Google Maps, although the latest update to Google Maps Street View has some good images of the then-nearly complete interchange.

roadman65

Is the Mountain Range I-80 between I-84 at Echo to the Wyoming Border part of the Great Wasatch Mountains or is it part another range connected to it?

Rand McNally shows that particular mountain range to be north of I-80 but Wiki says it extends into Central Utah being the boundary between the Rockies and the Great Basin to the west of it. Plus pretty much the topography changes all along I-15 south of Salt Lake where one side is flat while the other side rugged.

Also mountains do change names at certain points as well.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

kernals12

Were there ever any plans to build a freeway roughly along Wasatch Blvd between Draper and Cottonwood Heights? Seems like a pretty big gap in the network

Rothman

Quote from: kernals12 on August 27, 2024, 04:26:36 PMWere there ever any plans to build a freeway roughly along Wasatch Blvd between Draper and Cottonwood Heights? Seems like a pretty big gap in the network

Wut.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

US 89

Quote from: Rothman on August 27, 2024, 05:55:57 PM
Quote from: kernals12 on August 27, 2024, 04:26:36 PMWere there ever any plans to build a freeway roughly along Wasatch Blvd between Draper and Cottonwood Heights? Seems like a pretty big gap in the network

Wut.

There was a plan for another east-side highway in the Salt Lake Valley about halfway between I-15 and the base of the mountains. It was proposed as an expressway along Highland south of I-215 (then proposed as I-415) and a freeway roughly along 13th East north of it. North of I-80, the intent was for it to head northwest and tear directly through downtown Salt Lake City before ending at I-15 and 600 North.



That would have been a disaster for downtown so it is a good thing that it didn't happen. The only element of this that actually got built was the Cottonwood Diagonal, now better known as the Van Winkle Expressway (which even today does not connect directly to any other expressways or freeways and so kind of sticks out like a sore thumb). It also explains some of the direct ramps that were present at the original 600 North interchange before that was converted into a SPUI in 1998.

US 89

Conventional wisdom for several years now has held that UDOT is trying to get rid of the surface segment of SR 201 along 2100 South between 9th West and State. Signage was spotty anyway, probably to avoid confusion with trailblazers for the 201 freeway, but over maybe the past 10 years just about all remaining references to 201 were removed along that segment, and there isn't even a posted mile marker 17 or 18. The only clue you were on a state highway was the street signs at most traffic lights, which are the UDOT spec used from maybe the late 1980s through the early 2000s.

Until now. As part of the seemingly never ending construction along 300 West in this area, the light at 21st South was replaced, and this is now shown in both directions:



Clearly, they aren't ready to lose surface 201 *just* yet. I do wonder if its location directly on the Salt Lake City-South Salt Lake boundary complicates matters any.

Rothman

Lose it to the City or County?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Rover_0

Quote from: US 89 on September 16, 2024, 11:57:31 AMConventional wisdom for several years now has held that UDOT is trying to get rid of the surface segment of SR 201 along 2100 South between 9th West and State. Signage was spotty anyway, probably to avoid confusion with trailblazers for the 201 freeway, but over maybe the past 10 years just about all remaining references to 201 were removed along that segment, and there isn't even a posted mile marker 17 or 18. The only clue you were on a state highway was the street signs at most traffic lights, which are the UDOT spec used from maybe the late 1980s through the early 2000s.

Until now. As part of the seemingly never ending construction along 300 West in this area, the light at 21st South was replaced, and this is now shown in both directions:



Clearly, they aren't ready to lose surface 201 *just* yet. I do wonder if its location directly on the Salt Lake City-South Salt Lake boundary complicates matters any.

I drive that segment pretty regularly and noticed that too. The surface street segment of SR-201 (from 900 West to US-89/State St but not 900 West between the freeway and 2100 South) is a prime candidate to be transferred to local jurisdiction, depending on what exactly that jurisdiction is.

I don't see why it couldn't get a different number (plenty of numbers between 205-255 to use) if it remains under state jurisdiction.
Fixing erroneous shields, one at a time...

US 89

UDOT is about to begin a project to build its most visible roundabout yet: on SR 186 at the intersection of State Street and 300 North, at the top of Capitol Hill right in front of the state capitol building. This is a substantial undertaking for a number of reasons, including a relative lack of space at the intersection and the fact that the "State of Utah" wall just behind the end of State is a prime photography spot. The current intersection is configured such that northbound traffic on State does not have to stop except for pedestrians, except for a confusingly-signed merge with westbound traffic on 300 North.

The project will replace the current two-way stop with a 95-foot diameter single-lane roundabout. In coordination and to make room for the roundabout, the Utah Division of Facilities and Construction Management is relocating the entire State of Utah wall to the north to allow more space for pictures. The new roundabout should be more pedestrian friendly and hopefully will move traffic through the area a little better than the current configuration.

Some renderings from the project website:




Compare to what's there now, looking north and east. That "no stop required" isn't true if there are pedestrians...






US 89

Was reading through some Transportation Commission meeting minutes from earlier this year and noticed that SR 299 has been decommissioned as of the May 2024 meeting. SR 299, as a typical "institutional" state route, was an unsigned route that consisted of the driver's test course at the Driver License Division office in West Valley, plus a connection to 4700 South:



Not only was the state highway deleted, but the entire roadway has been abandoned as the land has been transferred for construction of the West Valley Veterans Nursing Home. The driver license division moved a half-mile north to a new site on Constitution Blvd, and now lacks a separate driving range.

Interestingly, this move was more or less ordered by the state legislature. Buried in an appropriations bill signed into law in 2023, in item 250 (of 566!), is the following text:

Quote from: 2023 Utah SB0003, lines 2477-2485The Legislature intends that in conjunction with the construction of the Department of Veterans Affairs West Valley Veterans Nursing Home, the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM) relocate the Department of Public Safety driving range to other state-owned property. The Legislature further intends that the Utah Department of Transportation transfer the 14.8-acre parcel which the driving range encumbers to DFCM for the West Valley Veterans Home.

US 89

Was reading through some Utah Transportation Commission meeting minutes and came upon two potential state road jurisdictional transfers I figured were worth mentioning here. Neither of these are near official, just possibilities currently being investigated.

The first is SR 134 through Plain City. 134 enters the area from the south along 4700 West and exits to the east along 2600 North. Currently, 134 passes through the center of town in a series of numerous stair steps along 4650 West, 2200 North, 4350 West, 2575 North, and 4200 West. The UDOT region has proposed to remove it from the town center and onto a much simpler routing on 1975 North and 3600 West.



It seems like Plain City is the main driving force behind this proposal. They frequently request to close SR 134 for short periods for parades/festivals/other community events, and while UDOT generally has no issue with this, the city would prefer to not have to go through the extra hoops of dealing with UDOT for these events. The city had initially proposed moving 134 onto 1975 North all the way east to SR 126, but that would have created issues for Farr West and Weber County, while the current proposal only involves Plain City and UDOT. Some potential issues are that the pavement is in poor condition and there is angle parking on 1975 North by Fremont High School that may not meet state route standards. In addition, there is currently a federal-aid project planned to reconstruct 3600 West, and any transfer would wait until that is done. This won't happen in the very near future, but something to keep an eye on.


The other potential change is a little more consequential, and that would be to transfer all of SR 224 south of the SR 248 junction to Park City. The driving force here is that upper 224 does not really serve the purpose of a state highway anymore; while it was originally mainly to serve undeveloped public lands, it is now more of a residential, almost semi-private road through a lot of upscale development. In the early 2000s, UDOT made an agreement with the main real estate developer in the area to move the winter closure gate a couple miles up the mountain from its former location at the Ontario Mine as long as the developer agreed to plow the road above the old gate, an arrangement that remains in place today. Much of 224 above this gate has also now been moved to privately built realignments. (I did write a blog post on this area that goes into a little more of the history of the area than is worth getting into here.)



Deleting this portion of road from the state system has been brought up numerous times, and was seriously considered by the Transportation Commission in the early 2000s. However, no definitive action has ever been taken because there is a minefield of often conflicting interests between different residents, developers, environmentalists, winter and summer recreationalists, county governments, municipal governments, etc etc...

Local community goals for this portion of 224 generally include increased safety as well as reduced vehicles and increasing transit for the entire route, maintaining access and reliable winter operations for the lower portion of the route, and providing a safe route/right of way as well as environmental preservation on the upper portion, which is only 15 feet wide in some sections. UDOT supports almost all of that but is not necessarily on board with deliberately reducing vehicle access (as Park City has done with the Bonanza Flat conservation area trailheads just to the south). Park City thinks the aesthetics of a retaining wall along the route are contributing to structural deficiences, which UDOT denies. The developers want to sell their road parallel to upper 224 to UDOT because they want to recoup as much money as they can from building it...

As mentioned above, this comes up every so often, and nothing ever happens because the web of competing interests can never be straightened out and continues to evolve with time, so don't expect any action on this anytime soon, but it is something that is being examined at a high level.

Kniwt

#362
The new I-15 Exit 12 (Washington Main Street) has officially opened.
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/officials-celebrate-new-i-15-interchange-in-washington-city-marking-end-of-78m-project/article_073580a8-bcf1-11ef-8f9a-337654e0c1b6.html

QuoteA ribbon was cut in Washington City on a chilly Tuesday morning, celebrating the completion of the Main Street/Exit 12 highway interchange project. The interchange provides a new on-and-off point for one of Southern Utah's rapidly growing communities and marks an end to a project that started in 2017.

The purpose of the new interchange, now the fourth in Washington City on I-15, is to help increase mobility and safety on the interstate while also providing better connectivity for Washington City and easing traffic congestion around the Green Spring/Exit 10 interchange.

The construction of the new interchange began in the spring of 2023. It coincided with a Utah Department of Transportation project that added a third lane in both directions to I-15 between Exits 10 and 13.

I-15 is now six lanes from Exit 8 to Exit 16 (SR 9), and five lanes (three up, two down) from ~MP20 to ~MP42.


US 89

A nice summary of 2024 road happenings from UDOT:

QuoteUDOT announces end-of-year construction totals and milestones

Crews have built new highways, trails and interchanges

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) completed 138 projects statewide during 2024, with a total value of approximately $1 billion.

In 2024, UDOT undertook major improvements to Utah's transportation network, including bridge repairs, new highways and interchanges, enhanced safety features, and expanded multi-use trails that connect existing systems. Below is a list of projects completed in last year on Utah's highways.

West Davis Highway, from Farmington to West Point ($750 million) — Crews completed this new, 16-mile, four-lane divided highway, improving access to and from West Davis County and finishing six months ahead of schedule. The highway runs from I-15 near Glovers Lane in Farmington to the future extension of SR-193 and 4500 West in West Point. This project also improved opportunities for active transportation by adding nearly 10 miles of new trails and connecting several existing regional trails, like Emigration Trail with the Legacy Parkway Trail. Environmental considerations were implemented, too, and UDOT preserved 1,110 acres of wetlands near the Great Salt Lake to safeguard the environment.

Airport bridges in Salt Lake County ($9.7 million) — This project extended the lifespan of 19 crucial bridges across Salt Lake County, including rehabilitations along the route to Salt Lake International Airport and over I-80, Bangerter Highway, Redwood Road, SR-201 and SR-202.

I-15 bridge work in Salt Lake County ($14 million) — Over the summer months, UDOT repaired bridge decks and fixed potholes on 32 bridges on I-15 in Salt Lake County from 400 North to 11400 South. Crews also replaced the joints on six bridges in the area.

New I-15 interchange in Washington City ($78.3 million) — UDOT opened a new interchange on I-15 at Main Street in Washington City, near St. George. This project also widened I-15, created a new travel lane in each direction and improved access to the rapidly-expanding area.

Pleasant Grove Boulevard intersection updates ($16 million) — This project enhanced traffic flow and access to I-15 from the intersection of Pleasant Grove Boulevard and North County Boulevard. UDOT added more left turns, widened Pleasant Grove Boulevard and added new traffic signals to the north and east of the intersection. Crews also resurfaced North County Boulevard from 2000 West to State Street in American Fork and upgraded curbs, gutters, sidewalks and landscaping.

Redwood Road in Taylorsville ($8.5 million) — UDOT widened Redwood Road in Taylorsville from 6200 South to the I-215 interchange, improving access, efficiency and safety in the area. Additional lanes were added to the eastbound and westbound on-ramps to I-215 to further enhance traffic flow.

SR-67 (Legacy Parkway) from Bountiful to Farmington ($12.1 million) — This project renewed SR-67 (Legacy Parkway) from 500 South in Bountiful to the I-15 ramps in Farmington. Crews removed and replaced the top layer of asphalt, repaired soft spots in the road and updated road signs and striping. This project extended the life of the existing pavement and upgraded the driving experience for motorists.

I-15 bridge repairs in Nephi ($17.8 million) — UDOT used this maintenance project to replace the driving surface on two Nephi bridges and completed various repairs on seven others near the area. Crews also rehabilitated 80 lane miles of pavement.

Provo 300 South improvements ($18.6 million) — This project made many improvements along 300 South in Provo. Crews repaved 300 South and replaced infrastructure in the area (storm drains, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, driveway access), added safety features (a signalized intersection at 400 East, enhanced lighting and a crosswalk at 200 East) and improved active transportation by adding a pedestrian and bike paths.

SR-39 (Ogden Canyon) safety upgrades ($2.8 million) — UDOT crews installed centerline rumble strips throughout all of Ogden Canyon and replaced roadside barriers in its narrowest section. These upgrades reduce the risk of crossover crashes and help prevent vehicles from leaving the road.

US 89

This year's state highway system amendments bill has been introduced in the state legislature as HB 0026. It includes the following changes, most of which were known already:

Deletion of SR 107 - to my knowledge, the Transportation Commission has not actually signed a resolution to do this yet, but this has been expected for years as progressively further west extension of SR 193 have been replacing 107 for the past several years. Now that 193 goes all the way west to SR 110, 107 has been fully functionally replaced.

Extension of SR 176 - this opened at some point early last year, probably in February. The north (west) end in state law will be extended from Main Street in Vineyard to "mile 2.35 at Lighthouse Lane", which is a short connector from the new Vineyard Connector Road to the existing Vineyard Rd along the Utah Lake shoreline.

Extension of SR 193 - as mentioned above, the west end of this route was extended from 3000 West to the new West Davis Highway/SR 177 in January 2024, and then further to SR 110 sometime over the spring/summer.

Truncation of SR 287 - with the new Utah State Correctional Facility and pending sale of the old Utah State Prison land, the portion on Bitterbrush Lane (essentially the driveway to the old prison) was removed from the state system by commission action back in March, leaving 287 as just a 0.4-mile frontage road.

Deletion of SR 299 - the old driver's test course at the West Valley City driver's license facility, deleted by the transportation commission in May.



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