LOGAN — Road construction, complete with delays and closures, has been something that most of us have had to deal with this summer and fall.
Last week on KVNU’s For the People program, communications manager for UDOT Region 1, Mitch Shaw, said that what is happening on SR-30, with the intermittent closures, is really construction prep that includes replacing right-of-way fencing and putting in a drainage structure.
“The real big, sort of heavy lifting construction stuff is going to happen next year. So, something for people to look out for, and when that happens we’re going to be adding travel lanes, we’re going to increase the width of the shoulders, flattening some of the slopes, that’s an issue on the road as well. We’re also putting in a recreational trail, that will be on the south side of the highway,” said Shaw.
The project will also include a sidewalk on the north side of the highway.
Another project is the work on U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon. It is less impactful for travelers, but will include an important public safety installation.
“We’re installing fiber conduit up there. Something that people have kind of pointed out in the past is that you drive up Logan Canyon and you don’t really have cell phone service up there. That can be problematic because if there’s a crash up there, that can take…it’s not just a quick cell phone call to alert the authorities.”
Shaw said they’ve been doing the project in phases and it still needs some funding to be completed.
He said the good news is they are not typically closing the canyon for the work, but there could be delays at times.
Upon completion, in addition to improved cell service, they will be able to install traffic cameras and traffic sensors. Also electronic message boards for urgent road and weather updates.