UDOT: Overpass safe

KAYSVILLE — Residents concerned about the structural integrity of the 200 North overpass need not worry — officials say its cracks are purely cosmetic.

Kaysville residents have complained that parts of the recently constructed bridge near Interstate 15 were already showing signs of dangerous cracking.

The cracking isn’t visible from a distance, but concrete has started to flake off from some large side panels underneath the bridge. One of the panels on the south side of the bridge appears to be caving in.

But both Kaysville city and Utah Department of Transportation officials say that structurally, the bridge is fine.

“There is a concern (on the part of the city),” Kaysville city manager John Thacker said. “But there is nothing there that is structurally in danger. Some of the material has been moving, but it comes from the cosmetic panels.”

UDOT spokesman Vic Saunders agreed with Thacker’s assessment, and said the large side panels were added to the bridge after it was built and serve as a decorative feature.

“That bridge is structurally sound,” he said. “Those cement panels were added after the bridge was all built.”

The $21 million bridge crosses over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Utah Transit Authority’s FrontRunner commuter rail line.

The overpass was completed in June 2008 and took two years to build. The joint project was funded by a federal grant secured by Utah’s congressional delegation.

The bridge reduces congestion and improves safety for motorists and pedestrians along the 200 North corridor.

Over the past decade, significant growth on the city’s west side has made an overpass an important component to link the east side of the city with the west.

Thacker said it’s still unclear why some of the panels are failing on the bridge, but transportation officials would continue to monitor and survey the area.

“We’ve been trying extensively to find out what it is,” he said. “And we will continue to do so.”