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Heavy traffic, congestion forecast for Labor Day weekend in Utah

By Mark Shenefelt - | Sep 2, 2021

Photo supplied, UDOT

A crash on Interstate 15 in Riverdale near the Interstate 84 junction blocked all lanes of southbound traffic Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016.

Interstate 15 in Clearfield and state Road 39 though Ogden Canyon are listed as potential chokepoints during Labor Day weekend’s projected heavy traffic in Utah.

As drivers flock to vacation destinations, the Utah Department of Transportation lists Ogden Canyon as a likely place for delays because SR 39 is reduced to one lane, with alternating traffic controlled by a temporary signal. Delays may last 15 minutes or more, UDOT said in a news release. Crews are replacing a bridge in the canyon.

All lanes will be open on I-15 through Clearfield, but lane splits are in place to allow construction in the median as part of an express lanes expansion project. The speed limit there is 60 mph.

Mitch Shaw, a UDOT spokesperson in Ogden, said an estimated 9,100 vehicles per day pass through Ogden Canyon, while 133,000 traverse Clearfield’s stretch of I-15.

Traffic engineers expect delays on Friday of up to 20 minutes on northbound I-15 through Davis County from 1-8 p.m., and up to 10 minutes on southbound I-15 through Salt Lake County from 2-8 p.m., the UDOT release said.

On Monday, delays for return trips could reach 10 minutes on southbound I-15 in Davis County from 3-7 p.m., northbound I-15 near Nephi from 3-7 p.m., westbound U.S. Route 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon from 1-8 p.m., and westbound I-80 from the U.S. 40 junction to the mouth of Parleys Canyon from 1-8 p.m., UDOT said.

Across the state, most UDOT projects will suspend construction and open all lanes to traffic to help reduce delays during the weekend. In some work zones, restrictions will continue through the weekend where needed to ensure safety or accommodate construction.

Meanwhile, the Utah Department of Public Safety said the Utah Highway Patrol and at least 20 other law enforcement agencies around the state are collectively adding 181 DUI enforcement shifts over the holiday weekend.

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