I-15NOW on schedule, on budget, UDOT says
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Tuesday, September 25, 2007
By Jordan Muhlestein
Standard-Examiner staff
OGDEN -- Construction on Interstate 15 in Weber County still has a year to go, but drivers can get a taste of the makeover as they drive near the recently completed area near 31st Street.
The I-15NOW, or New Ogden Weber, expansion is 60 percent complete, so it is both on schedule and on budget, said Andy Neff, public involvement manager for Utah Department of Transportation Region 1.
"We hit a significant milestone with the completion of the 31st Street interchange," he said. "For the most part, the project is substantially complete and open from I-84 in Roy to 24th Street in Ogden."
The new interchange offers increased capacity and safety features, including a wider bridge with dual turn lanes for entering the freeway, as well as a new traffic-signal system that uses video cameras and fiber-optic cables to detect traffic and coordinate traffic signals throughout the area, Neff said.
"The traffic-monitoring systems send real-time traffic information to our traffic operations center and to our CommuterLink Web site," he said.
The 31st Street bridge, as well as the five other bridges in the project, has been designed to last 75 years, Neff said.
The $265 million project is well on its way to a projected fall 2008 completion, he said. Major construction began in early spring 2006.
"This is the third-largestdesign-built project UDOT has ever worked on," he said.
The work is being noticed beyond the Top of Utah, Neff said. Roads & Bridges, a leading trade magazine, named I-15NOW as one of the Top 10 road construction projects in the United States.
"It is a huge project, and it is very significant to be named as one of the Top 10," he said.
One way project managers keep abreast of any public issues with the construction is by coordinating with the I-15NOW Citizen Review Board, made up of residents and representatives from local government and business entities, Neff said.
"The board acts as a conduit of feedback from the public. They have been very helpful throughout the process."
Board members are pleased with the progress of the project and with the way UDOT has handled the construction, said Kent Jorgenson, a board member representing the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce.
"We review the project's efforts to make sure they are responsive to community input," he said, "and we have always come out with the very highest marks."
The completion of the 31st Street interchange shows the project has gained momentum, Jorgenson said.
"It shows the project is working and it's meeting the needs of the residents in this region."
The construction focus has now shifted north to the 24th Street interchange.
"Both of the ramps at 24th Street have been reconstructed, and by the end of the fall (this year), we expect to have much of the project complete up to 24th Street," Neff said.
Currently, there are only two ramps at 24th Street -- a northbound offramp and a southbound onramp -- and there are no plans nor funds to add two more ramps during the I-15NOW construction, he said.
UDOT is, however, working on a corridor study of 24th Street from I-15 to Washington Boulevard, Neff said, the results of which could possibly indicate a need for the ramps.
The current construction is being done to accommodate north ramps if they are later deemed necessary.
At 21st Street, ramp work should be finished before the winter, with some structure work possibly saved until spring, he said.
Major construction on the 12th Street interchange will continue through the spring, with crews removing the circular on- and offramps and creating a diamond-style interchange.
"Work continues on the interchanges at 450 North and 2700 North, as well as on an overpass at 1800 North," Neff said. "We expect the majority of the bridge work to be completed by this fall, as well."
Except for a section near 24th Street, drivers are now traveling along the finished inside lanes throughout the nine-mile project, he said. The finished product will feature four lanes in each direction as far north as 12th Street and three lanes in each direction until 2700 North.
Construction of noise walls along the southern end of the project is complete, Neff said, and crews are working to finish walls from 1800 North to 2700 North.
UDOT wants to emphasize to drivers the need for continued safety for the duration of the project, he said. An increased law enforcement presence has been put in place to make sure drivers adhere to the construction zone's 55 mph speed limit.
"The speed is for motorists' safety and for the safety of our construction workers," Neff said.
"We also ask people to increase the distance between them and the vehicle in front of them."
I-15 closures
* Monday: The northbound Interstate 15 onramp at the 21st Street interchange in West Haven closed for about three weeks for reconstruction. Motorists may use interchanges at 12th Street and 31st Street as alternate routes.
* Today: Northbound I-15 will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. between 31st Street and 21st Street for paving.
* Wednesday: Southbound I-15 will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. between Willard Exit 351 and 31st Street for paving.
For information about the project, call the I-15NOW Project Hotline, (888) i15-now0 (888-415-6690), or visit the project's Web site, www.udot.utah.gov/i15now.
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