Construction on I-84 bridges over Weber River, railway line begins this week
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- The Utah Department of Transportation has begun the reconstruction of a pair of bridges on Interstate 84, 2 miles east from the mouth of Weber Canyon.
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- The Utah Department of Transportation has begun the reconstruction of a pair of bridges on Interstate 84, 2 miles east from the mouth of Weber Canyon.
On Monday, the Utah Department of Transportation began reconstruction on a pair of aging bridges over the Weber River and the Union Pacific railway line in Weber Canyon on Interstate 84.
Mitchell Shaw, senior communications manager with UDOT, told the Standard-Examiner that the bridges — located 2 miles east of the mouth of the canyon near milepost 91 — were built in the mid-1960s and are reaching the end of their service life. The bridges have undergone repairs over the years.
“We have a lot of bridges across the state and they do require a lot of upkeep,” Shaw said. “Many bridges, because there’s nothing underneath, they freeze quicker and the freeze-thaw cycles hit them harder. Everything that you see on a normal road is accelerated. So, we’ve done a lot of repairs on these bridges and it’s time to build new ones.”
Prep work, including the construction of temporary bridges for the moving/staging of utilities and heavy equipment began in the spring. Now, crews have begun reconstruction of the eastbound bridge. As a result, there will be eastbound closures to a single lane at the construction site on weekdays from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. through June 27, with the potential for additional work and lane closures on weekends. The open lane will be restricted to 12 feet wide.
Eastbound bridge construction will continue through mid-2026. A winter suspension is planned around November of this year, after which Phase 2 construction will pick up in the spring. Phase 3 construction of the new westbound bridge is slated to begin in June 2026, bringing with it traffic crossover and planned reductions to one lane during daytime and nighttime hours.
The full reconstruction of both bridges is scheduled to occur over the course of three construction seasons through May 2027. Heavy equipment, including a crane, will be used to build the new bridges.
“There are going to be some impacts over these next couple of years but the good thing is, once we’re done, the bridges are going to be greatly improved,” Shaw said. “We won’t have to go in there for another generation, basically. The new bridges should last for at least another 75 years. There are going to be some temporary headaches but, once we get done, it’ll be a much better facility.”
I-84 is a major regional connector to Echo Junction and I-80 and is used by Ogden-area residents and others to access Trappers Loop, the upper Ogden Valley and recreation opportunities at Pineview Reservoir and local ski resorts. Although construction will pause during the winter months, Shaw advised motorists to keep up to date with the construction and road/traffic conditions as they plan trips through the area.
“I would direct people to the project website where they can sign up for email updates,” Shaw said. “As soon as we have information from the contractor about what kind of work is taking place and how it will impact traffic, it’ll be on that website.”
For more information and updates, go to https://udotinput.utah.gov/i84weberbridge/ or call the project hotline at 801-838-8361.
