UTAH STATE EDITION
A Supplement to:
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May 14 2017 Vol. II • No. 10
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Utah Connection – Dennis Hogeboom – 1-877-7CEGLTD – dennishogeboom@cegltd.com
Work Under Way on $15M Project in Arches National Park By Chuck Harvey CEG CORRESPONDENT
Work is under way on a $15 million project to reconstruct all paved roads and pullouts in Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. Construction spans 26 mi. of roadway. Campground roads, housing roads and parking lots would not typically be part of reconstruction work, but additional funding has been secured to reconstruct the Devils Garden campground road, the residence road and the maintenance yard parking area. Construction started in March and continues through November of this year. Work on the entrance road portion of the project is expected to be
completed by Memorial Day weekend May 27-29. Work will be done in phases, starting with construction on an inbound lane from U.S. 191 to the entrance booths and a roundabout at the entrance to the visitor center. Construction will be done at night and no camping is allowed in the park until the project is completed. The project is paid for by the Federal Highways Administration program. In what is known as a 3-R project (resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation), workers will reconstruct all paved roads and pullouts in Arches National Park. The Federal Highway Administration designates 3R projects as a means of replac-
ing public land agencies’ roadways when they become worn and outdated. The existing park roads were built from 1957 to 1962 and designed for approximately 75,000 visitors per year. Arches National Park’s visitation exceeded 1.5 million in 2016, so the roads and pullouts are in need of upgrades to accommodate the dramatic increase in use. One of the major 3R project stipulations is that the majority of the project must be within the existing roadway prism. The roadway prism is defined as the total cross-sectional width of the entire disturbance when the road was constructed. As an example this would be the width from
John Lewis, Arches National Park photo
Work is under way on a $15 million project to reconstruct all paved roads and pullouts in Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.
see ARCHES page 8
UDOT’s 2017 Highway Projects Add Up to $1.3B New Bangerter Highway Interchanges Lead Top 10 Projects for 2017
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced its Top 10 Projects list for the 2017 construction season.
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced its Top 10 Projects list for the 2017 construction season. This year’s top project will build five freeway-like interchanges on Bangerter Highway over the next two years. The $249 million project will be completed in late 2018. UDOT has 180 highway construction projects scheduled across the state this year, with a combined value of $1.3 billion. These projects are designed to keep Utah moving now and in the future by enhancing safety for drivers and pedestrians, improving traffic flow, and maintaining Utah’s roads and bridges in good condition. This year’s Top 10 includes three projects in western Salt Lake County, illustrating UDOT’s focus on meeting the transportation needs of this fast-growing area. In addition, four of the Top 10 projects are located far from the Wasatch Front in southern and eastern Utah,
where these projects will improve vital transportation links for local communities. The following are UDOT’s Top 10 Projects for 2017: • Bangerter Highway Interchanges, $249 million — Construction starts April 2017; scheduled completion late 2018: UDOT’s No. 1 project in the state this year is the simultaneous construction of five new freeway-style interchanges on Bangerter Highway. New interchanges will be built at 5400 South, 7000 South, 9000 South, and 11400 South, along with an interchange under construction at 600 West, to meet the growing transportation need in the southwest Salt Lake Valley. The interchanges at 600 West and 7000 South will be completed this year. • I-215 — 4700 South to S.R. 201, $105 million — Construction continues from last season; see UDOT page 10