One of the busiest travel weeks of the year is falling right during Utah’s
biggest construction season in history. That can mean traffic headaches.
Mindy Nelson, from UDOT, helps us navigate through the week.
The July 4th holiday is just a week away and with the big day falling on a
Wednesday this year, that means two busy weekends of travel. This is the
busiest construction season in UDOT’s history with more than 200 road
construction projects planned this summer throughout the state. The good
news for drivers is that construction crews will be off the highways for the
July 4th holiday but existing areas of narrowed lanes and reduced speeds will
still be in effect and could add extra travel time.
UDOT recently completed one if its key milestones on the massive I-15 CORE
project in Utah County by opening all six lanes between Lehi and Pleasant
Grove. The entire CORE project is on schedule to open in December, but
there is still a lot of work to do. For instance, right now, the 800 North
interchange is closed in Orem, so drivers will need to use 1600 North or
Center Street as an alternative route, so if you’re headed to Provo Canyon
over the holiday, keep that in mind.
If you’re traveling farther south down to Cedar City, UDOT will be opening
state Route 14 in Cedar Canyon beginning July 3rd at 4pm through the
following Monday at 7am. This will make it easier for travelers to reach
recreational facilities and tourist destinations over the holiday.
If you’re heading down to Provo for Stadium of Fire events, UDOT encourages
everyone to avoid traveling between 5:30pm and 8pm when traffic will be the
heaviest. Plan ahead and allow extra time to make the trip. If you are
planning on attending the parade, concert and fireworks, exit at University
Parkway, Orem Center Street, Provo Center Street or University Avenue.
Just a reminder that this is construction season, so please use caution when
driving through construction zones. Be alert, watch for changing conditions,
and observe signs and warnings. It’s always a good idea to plan ahead and
allow extra time if you’re traveling through a construction zone.
For the latest on all UDOT construction, visit the UDOT website and click the
orange “construction” button. You can view an interactive map with
construction updates, live traffic cameras and incident reports for the entire
state. And don’t forget – you can always plan ahead for construction using
the UDOT traffic app on your smart phone.
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