Utah's Massive Freeway Improvement Project Nears Completion

I-15 is a major interstate highway running north-south through the entire length of Utah, connecting many of Utah's communities. It carries heavy traffic, particularly along the Wasatch Front (the Provo-Salt Lake-Davis-Ogden area).

For the past couple years there has been major road construction on I-15 in the Provo area, and the work has often caused major traffic headaches. Now the roadwork is winding down – months ahead of schedule. Beginning Monday morning, all lanes will be open and the traffic flow will be greatly improved.

The Deseret News has this article about the early finish to the reconstruction project. Here are excerpts:

"It will be a nice relief for the commuters that drive everyday," said I-15 CORE spokeswoman Leigh Dethman. "When people drive to and from work on Monday, it's going to be a whole new experience."

Dethman said work would continue at night through December as crews complete landscaping, drainage, barrier construction, fencing, concrete work, painting and other activities. UDOT also will conduct final inspections after dark to accommodate the project's completion timeline, she said.

On Monday, the speed limit on the 24-mile stretch will increase from 55 mph to 65 mph.

Originally budgeted for $1.73 billion, the I-15 CORE project is the state's largest highway construction project ever and the fastest completed billion-dollar, public highway project in the U.S., she said.

When construction began in spring 2010, the freeway was slated for a 2014 completion. Today, the project is expected to be approximately $230 million under budget and nearly two years ahead of schedule when finished next month.

Read the entire article.