New concrete at 1800 North looking south
Project Activities:
- The east side of the 1800 North and 2000 West is still closed through Wednesday, April 16 while the concrete gains strength. On Thursday, April 17, the project will open the east side and close the west side of the intersection until Sunday, April 27, for ten days. Detours will be in place (see map below). Access will be maintained to area businesses during these closures and maps have been created for each quadrant of the intersection showing how to get to businesses (see maps below).
- Sidewalk preparation from 300 North to 800 North will begin mid-week for installation in late April.
Project Activities*
- On Tuesday, March 25, crews will pave the first pass of concrete at 1300 North headed north on the west side.
- Sidewalk installation continues on 1800 North on both sides of the intersection.
*Schedule is subject to change due to weather, equipment, or material delays
Ongoing Activities:
Work is ongoing throughout the project corridor. Work will take place daily Monday - Saturday from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. unless noted.
- Storm drain installation on west leg of 1800 North
- Stidewalk installation at 1800 North through April
Drivers can expect shifting traffic patterns. Please reduce your speed through the work zone.
Before UDOT begins the work to actually widen the road, they coordinate with utility owners and local municipalities to complete all the necessary adjustments to the utility lines under the road. Sometimes utilities are required to move because of the road improvements (moving power poles near the new sidewalk location, for example) and sometimes service providers take the opportunity that comes with exposing the road to upgrade their services (larger water lines to provide more service to growing neighborhoods or upgrades to aging infrastructure, for example).
From the driver’s eye view, this can look like repetitive work – digging up a trench, laying pipe, compacting it, and doing it all over again for the next service. The network of pipes and conduit under the road can be as congested as the cars that drive on top of it. Additionally, utilities have spacing requirements to keep clearance from other pipes in their final placement. These considerations require careful planning during the engineering design and skilled placement during construction.
While this work can require a lot of road closures and be frustrating to those who drive in the area, it’s a necessary step in delivering the services we’ve come to expect in our modern lives – flushing toilets, clean drinking water, high speed internet, heat during the winter and air conditioning during the summer. The good news is, once the road is constructed, UDOT pushes pause on permits and requests to cut into the road, emergencies notwithstanding. The utility and road work happening now is just about all of the work that will take place for the next several years.
The map above is representative of the many utility lines that crews are currently installing along 2000 West. Our engineers use the last known design plans when deciding where to move or place the new utility lines but can still be met with surprises when they dig into the road. This can cause delays while they adjust their plans in real-time. So far, we’ve not run into many surprises. Utility construction has gone smoother and faster than we had planned!
Project Schedule
