Making it concrete
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Thursday, February 1, 2007
By Rebecca Palmer
Standard-Examiner staff
FARR WEST -- Mike Craig has had to leave earlier for work ever since construction began on Interstate 15 near his home. But the young father said he is excited for the project to be completed.
The 2700 North interchange, just blocks from Craig's home, is always jammed, he said.
The completed project, known as I-15 New Ogden/Weber, or NOW, will fix that problem and others, Utah Department of Transportation representative Andy Neff told Top of Utah residents at an open-house meeting Wednesday.
The project is about 30 percent complete and is on schedule in terms of both money and time, he added.
The project was started in February 2006 and is set to be finished by fall 2008. It is estimated it will cost $264 million, officials have said, and will widen 10 miles of the freeway between the Interstate 84 interchange in Riverdale and 2700 North in Farr West.
The finished project will also feature six new interchange ramps and 24 restructured bridges. It encompasses both new construction and needed freeway repairs, Neff said.
Two interchange ramps will be redesigned and the complete stretch will receive aesthetic improvements, new landscaping and technological improvements.
Wednesday's open house at the Farr West City Hall, 1896 N. 1800 West, was the first UDOT has sponsored since construction began. Six UDOT representatives and a representative from the Wasatch Front Regional Council were available to answer questions for some 70 residents who attended.
Residents were interested in how the final project would look and the effects of 2007 construction.
Neff said current overnight lane restrictions were set to continue "into the foreseeable future," but that two narrow lanes will continue to be open during daylight hours.
The summer construction season will see periodic closures. As crews repair and replace bridge structures, all freeway lanes will be closed. Cross streets and bridges will also be closed periodically, based on agreements set between UDOT and construction crews.
By mid-April, crews will again be able to move dirt and gravel, said UDOT representative Randy Jeffries. While cold weather persists, crews will focus on concrete work.
By the end of the 2007 season, they hope to complete inside lanes all the way to 2700 North.
Larry Harris, a retired Farr West resident, wandered the small city council room Wednesday evening, asking questions and looking at maps and displays.
One poster showed a close-up view of a "cedar grapestone" pattern to be imprinted on the concrete that will make up sound walls. The poster also showed a stainless steel mural of a train -- the murals will be mounted on new stabilizing walls.
Technological improvements being built as the construction progresses include traffic sensors and cameras, electronic message boards and weather-monitoring centers, Neff said.
Information collected by the new equipment will be sent to commuterlink.utah.gov, and traffic control centers.
For the latest information about I-15 NOW and other UDOT projects, visit www.udot.utah.gov. Information about Utah transportation projects and long-term transportation plans can also be found at www.wfrc.org.
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