Road Rules: Labor Day Travel Forecast

Road Rules: Labor Day Travel Forecast

If you’re traveling on Utah highways this upcoming Labor Day weekend,
chances are good you’ll drive through a construction zone.

But Tonia Mashburn with UDOT has some good news!


UDOT has more than 200 road construction projects planned this year
throughout the state, so chances are good you’ll be driving through a
construction zone if you’re traveling on Utah highways for the Labor Day
weekend.

The good news for drivers is we suspend all new activities for the entire
holiday weekend. Any existing areas of narrowed lanes and reduced speeds
will still be in effect and could add extra travel time.

On I-15 CORE, drivers should plan for lane restrictions to remain in place
over the Labor Day weekend. We’re reminding drivers to be alert and follow
the posted signs in the construction zone.

There still could be one- to two-hour delays at peak travel times with
narrowed and shifting lanes through the 24 miles from Lehi to Spanish
Fork. You can reduce delays by avoiding the freeway during the heaviest
travel times, which are Friday afternoon, Friday evening and Monday
evening.

If you haven’t driven on I-15 through Utah County recently, there’s a
different lane configuration in place in American Fork and Orem. The four
lanes in each direction have been split into two halves using concrete
barriers. Two lanes are now traveling on the old asphalt, and two lanes are
on new concrete, with construction crews working in the middle.
If you need to exit stay in the right lanes, but all four lanes are open to
through traffic. These lane splits help reduce delays for drivers, because
they allow workers to continue paving without having to close lanes.
Another big change on I-15 CORE is the Provo Center Street southbound
off-ramp is closed for up to 90 days. This closure is in place to allow crews
to move forward with construction on the new interchange ramp.
To access downtown Provo, use University Avenue. If you’re heading to
Utah Lake or west Provo use University Parkway and then head south on
Geneva Road.

This is the last holiday weekend of the summer, we’re asking Utahns to
“Stay an Extra Day” and leave a day earlier or come home a day later to help
reduce travel delays on highways throughout the state. Visit the UDOT
homepage and click on “Stay an Extra Day” for access to deals at lodging
properties and attractions statewide.

One project that will affect travel this weekend is work on I-15 northbound
between Lehi and Draper. Lane restrictions begin at 8 p.m. with up to three
lanes closing during the night. We are expecting heavy delays in this area
so avoid or travel around it if possible.


For the latest information on all UDOT construction projects, visit the UDOT
website and click the Know Where Know Why button. You can view an
interactive map with construction updates, live traffic cameras and incident
reports for the entire state. That’s udot.utah.gov, or you can also click the
link at ksl.com.

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