Another part of Weber County’s 12th Street corridor upgraded, more work coming
Construction crews work on the final touches of a section of 900 South in west Weber County on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020.
Construction crews work on the final touches of a section of 900 South in west Weber County on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020.
Construction crews work on the final touches of a section of 900 South in west Weber County on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020.
Construction crews work on the final touches of a section of 900 South in west Weber County on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020.
The West 12th Street corridor in western Weber County, between 5900 West and 9300 West, on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. Weber County Commissioners included funds in the tentative 2019 budget to complete an upgrade of the roadway, partially finished in 2017.
OGDEN — After a year or so of disruptions for motorists who drive the West 12th Street corridor in western Weber County the end is near — the end of the current phase of work on the roadway, that is.
As part of long-term planned improvements of the road, one of the key arterials to the county’s western expanse, the section between 5900 West and 7100 West has been the focus of work for the past year. That’s resulted in delays for motorists as traffic at times has been winnowed to just one lane with a flagger.
“Our citizens out on West 12th (Street), they’ve had it,” County Commissioner Scott Jenkins said at last week’s county commission meeting. Some, he said, are “so tired of the construction.”
The bulk of the work is now done, though, meaning smooth sailing, by and large, for autos. Some work like striping and connecting driveways into the new road has yet to be done, though it should soon be finished. “For all intents and purposes, we essentially reconstructed the entire roadway,” said Gary Myers, the county engineer.
Cars and trucks still flow along just one lane going each direction, but a center turn lane was added as well as wider shoulders, Myers said. Moreover, ditches alongside the road — actually 900 South out in that part of the county — have been piped and covered.
The upshot of it all, Myers said, is an “improved ride, improved safety, improved drainage.” The cost of the improvements along the 1.8-mile section came in at just over $10.6 million, a bit higher than the original $10.5 million contract price due to change orders.
Leaving Ogden, West 12th Street morphs into 1250 South, 1150 South and 900 South as it meanders toward the Great Salt Lake, where a number of industrial operations are located, including Compass Minerals and Western Zirconium. The section from 4700 West to around 5900 West was the focus of an earlier upgrade, while upgrades to the section from around 7100 West further west to around 9300 West come next. A center turn lane will be added to that section and the shoulders are to be widened, Myers said, maintaining the “look and feel” of the new sections further east.
The design of the next section is complete, according to Sean Wilkinson, director of Weber County’s Community and Economic Development Department. But while funding for the work is earmarked through the Weber Area Council of Governments, an advisory body led by elected officials from across the county, it won’t come available until 2025, when the upgrade efforts will resume.
More work remains, but residents “get a break now for a year or so,” Jenkins said. “They’re anxious to have that break. It’s been tough on them.”